Season X: They Work Hard for No Money
by NMI123
Summary: The whole Winslow clan prepares to help Laura and Steve move into their new apartment, but there is drama amongst the boxes, bubble wrap, and packing peanuts. Will Laura and Steve make it through the first week of their new jobs? Will Carl be able to win Steve's forgiveness? Where will this walk down Memory Lane leave our favorite couple?


"Steve, Baby, if you don't hurry up, you're gonna be late on your first day!" Laura called as she was packing her own purse up.

Steve came out of the bathroom with his tie in hand. "I'm trying, Beautiful, but the tie you picked is a real tie, and I can't get it right." He placed it around his neck and fiddled with it aggressively, clearly frustrated.

Laura shook her head and smiled. "Stop," she said as she approached him. She took his tie from him, untangling the mess he had made that had nearly strangled him, and placed it around his neck. "You start with it like this. Then you take the big end and cross it over the small end. Come up through the loop and down. Cross it behind the knot. Go up and down through the neck. Cross in front of the knot. Go up through the neck, down through the piece covering the knot, tighten, and you're done," she explained as if it were simple. She brushed his shoulders and helped him with his suit. She made a mental note that they needed to buy more if he was going to be working in them five days a week.

"What would I do without you?" he asked, moony-eyed.

"Wear clip-ons again?" she proposed with a shrug, turning back to her purse.

"Oh, right," he nodded.

She slipped her bag on her shoulder and turned to him. "Are you ready to go?"

He nodded. "Yes indeedie, Sweetie."

She headed toward the door, but just before she opened it, his hand landed on it firmly. She turned back to him.

"I am so proud of you," he whispered.

"Proud of _me_? C'mon, Steve. I got sexually harassed and fell into this job because my mother is friends with the boss. You've worked your butt off your whole life, and it's _finally_ paying off. _I'm_ proud of _you_."

He looked down at his feet modestly. "It's no big deal, my sweet."

"Yes, it is," she said firmly. "Things are finally turning around for you, Steve Urkel, and that's not luck. You are the most _unlucky_ man I know. It's because you're a good man who works hard, loves fiercely, and persists no matter what life throws at him. You are an amazing person, Steve. You should be proud of _yourself_."

Steve blushed uncontrollably. He had paused to shower her in praise, and it wasn't working out that way. He didn't even know what to say to that.

She watched him stare at his shoes for a moment. Then she reached out and tilted his chin back up. "Uh-uh. Hold your head high, _my love_ , and own this. You have earned and you deserve every good thing in your life… _including_ _me_."

He opened his mouth to argue with that one, but she placed a finger to his lips.

"Don't you start with me. Now, c'mon," she said as she opened the door. "We're gonna be late."

Steve dropped Laura off in front of Ferguson's. She kissed him passionately as soon as the car was in park. "Good luck, Baby," she purred. "You can do this. If you need anything, call me, ok?"

"Ok," he agreed nervously. He had thought about all kinds of wonderful things to say to her in this moment all last night and all this morning, but her little speech had thrown him off. Now, he was too worried about disappointing her to think about anything else. He said the only thing he always knew how to say. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too." She kissed him again and got out of the car. "Have a good day!" she called as she ran toward the building in her four-inch heels. Up until the moment she stepped inside Ferguson's, she was more worried about him than herself. As she stepped inside, her stomach began to do flips. Steve was gonna be fine. He could do anything he set his mind to. She, on the other hand, was completely unqualified for the job she was walking into. Thankfully, her mother's was the first face she saw. "Mom!"

"Good morning, Mrs. Urkel!" she chirped. "Are you ready for your first day?"

"No," Laura admitted.

Harriette wrapped an arm around her. "Oh, you'll do fine."

Harriette first took her to HR where she got a new name tag and a new ID. By the time they had done that, it was time to meet the big man himself. Harriette led her up to Mr. Ferguson's office and knocked.

"Come in," he called. Harriette held the door for Laura as they walked in. Mr. Ferguson looked up from his desk at the two women entering. "Good morning, Harriette," he smiled, standing to greet them.

"Good morning, Mr. Ferguson," Harriette nodded.

"And this must be the legendary Laura Winslow," Mr. Ferguson said as he extended his hand to her.

"Laura Urkel, actually," she corrected as she shook his hand.

"Oh, yes, of course. Your mother told me you just got married. That was only a few weeks ago, no?"

Laura nodded. "Yes, we are still honeymooners."

He smiled. "I can see that in that gorgeous smile of yours."

Laura subtly, but noticeably cringed. Something about men in authority complimenting her was starting to give her the willies.

Mr. Ferguson sympathized. "Laura, Harriette, sit down," he suggested, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk. He sat behind his desk and took a deep breath to let them both get comfortable. "Laura, I just want to apologize for what you went through with Waxman," he said eventually.

"Oh, that's not necessary. It's not your fault," she said.

"Yes, it is. He's worked for us for years. I considered him a close friend of the family, but it's obvious that you weren't the only woman he's victimized. I just can't believe I was so oblivious. One is too many, but it's even worse that it was more than one. And even worse that it was you! I have so much respect for your mother, and I just hate that you were hurt on my watch."

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Laura said as Harriette squeezed her knee supportively.

"We were, however, very lucky that it was you. Another woman may not have come forward."

"Oh, Mr. Ferguson, I wasn't going to. I didn't do anything. We just kind of caught him by accident."

"And I'm glad we did. Thank your husband for me, too."

"Are you kidding?" Laura joked, "I can't encourage that behavior or he'd punch everyone who hits on me."

Mr. Ferguson smiled. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

Laura smiled and then leaned forward slightly. "Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Ferguson."

"You're more than welcome, Laura. I'm sure your mother has explained it all, but you're really helping us out of a bind." With that he stood so he could lead them out. "It was wonderful meeting you, Laura. I'm sure you'll do fine, but if you need anything, promise me you'll let me know."

"Yes, Sir," Laura agreed as he ushered her and her mother out of the office.

When Steve got to work that day, he, too, was met in the lobby.

"Steve!" Wes called as he entered. "Steve, over here!"

"Hello, Wes!" Steve headed toward his boss and extended his hand. Wes slapped it away and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh, I'm so glad you were able to start today. How did Mr. Tanaka take it?" Wes asked as he broke away from their hug and began to walk.

Steve followed as he answered. "Very well. He was completely understanding. Come to think of it, I think he only hired me as a favor, anyway. They were never understaffed."

"That was nice of him."

"It was. All he made me do is promise that Laura and I would come eat there once a month for the rest of our lives."

Wes glanced at him. "Oh, is that all?" he asked sarcastically.

Steve shrugged. "Well, I'm hoping he'll let me renegotiate the frequency when Laura starts getting sick of it.

Wes chuckled. "And how is the lovely Laura? Was she excited about your new job?"

"Oh, we're both over the moon, Wes. We signed a lease last night. We're moving into our own apartment this weekend."

"Really? Congratulations," Wes said as he led him into the elevator. "Now, Steve, I'm gonna give you a little tour of the place and then I'm gonna unleash you on the lab, all right?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Wes. I'm sure you're busy."

"I insist," he said as they stepped out of the elevator and into a bright, white, marbled hall. "Now, this is the lab floor. Just about all of our scientists work right here. You are going to be in Lab Eight, working under Dr. Harold Ford. He's an old stick in the mud, but I've met him at the Christmas party once or twice. He's a nice enough guy, I guess."

Steve didn't like the sound of that. That wasn't the best review.

Wes noticed the hesitance in his face. "No, Steve, relax. I just don't know him that well. Like I said, you all are well below my pay grade," he repeated with a smile that showed he had no idea how rude that was to say.

Steve nodded and shrugged it off, following him down to the metal doors labeled 8. Wes stopped in front of the door and placed his hand on the pad. The doors slid open. Wes stepped inside, and Steve followed close behind him. Steve couldn't believe what he saw. This lab was huge! Sure, it was bigger than the tiny lab he had in his parents' basement, but it was also bigger than his lab at IOU. Steve couldn't hold back the smile on his face as he saw all of the technology surrounding him. It was too good to be true.

"Now, we'll get you into the system, and you'll have access to all of this whenever you want. If you come in after 10, or stay after 10, you have to sign with security, but the building never really closes. You can stay as long as you'd like, so long as you're working on projects for us. Obviously, you can't just invent something using our tech and our time and cut us out of it completely."

Steve nodded. That seemed reasonable.

"Mr. Forman!" a voice called from across the room. Suddenly, the room went silent, and everyone turned to stare at them.

Steve grew a little nervous under everyone's stares. He was used to being the center of attention, but usually in a negative light.

A short, chubby, white man approached them at a slow jog. He extended his hand as he arrived. "Mr. Forman," he repeated, "it's good to see you again. What are you doing down at our level, Sir?"

"It's good to see you, too, Harry," Wes smiled. "I just came down to introduce you to your newest scientist." He patted Steve on the back.

"Really?" Harold asked with his brow furrowed.

"Yes, you should have received a note about this guy's special circumstances."

"Well, yeah, I did, but I just assumed it was a special circumstance that came from two floors above… Not forty."

Wes smiled, "Yes, well, he's very important to me and to this company." He smiled at Steve.

Harold glanced at Steve, clearly trying to figure out why this newbie was getting so much special attention.

Steve tried to ignore the glares being aimed at him. He cleared his throat and stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you, Harry," he chirped as he offered his hand.

Harold ignored it. "Dr. Ford," he corrected.

"Steve Urkel," Steve said with a grin, leaving his hand hanging in the air.

"Mhmm. Ok, well, I guess we'll get you set up then, huh?"

"Oh, no," Wes interrupted. "That's gonna have to wait a couple of hours, Harry. I'm giving Steve a personal tour of the building. We're headed up to see Andy now."

Harold glared at Steve. "Ok. Sure," he said through gritted teeth.

Steve didn't know who Andy was, but he could already tell he was going to have problems with his direct boss.

After Laura's meeting with Mr. Ferguson, Harriette walked her back to the Women's department and gave her one last piece of advice. "Laura, you need to call a meeting with your sales representatives and show them just who you are. You may only have this position for a few months, but you gotta own it, Honey."

Laura nodded and hugged her goodbye. Then she walked in to do exactly that. "Good morning," she said cheerily as she walked into the break-room. She stopped in her tracks as every one of her sales reps turned to glare at her. " _Ahem_. Ok, so I guess you've all heard about the change."

"We sure have," said one of them, Ronda, "and we're not havin' it, Laura."

Laura's jaw dropped. That was one hell of a way to talk to your new boss.

"Look, Laura," Jan said, "we like you, but you've only been working here on and off part-time. Some of us have been here full-time for decades. It just doesn't make any sense to promote you over one of us."

"Yes, it does," Aggie argued, "her mom's friends with Mr. Ferguson. It makes plenty of sense. It's just not fair."

"Ok, that's enough," Laura snapped firmly. "You all need to calm down. I'm just a stand-in. You know that. When they find a permanent replacement for Waxman, which will likely be one of you, they'll move me back down. I'm leaving in September, anyway." Laura hesitated, but then added, "Besides, aren't you guys glad to be rid of Waxman? I can't be the only one he tried to…" She looked at them as she trailed off and noticed that few of them would make eye contact with her. She definitely wasn't the only one. "I don't want to have problems with you guys. I have loved working with all of you for the past few years, and I'm looking forward to continuing to do so, but if you don't get on board, I'm going to have to start putting my foot down."

Though for a moment, it had seemed she had been drawing them in, with that burst of unfounded authority, she lost them again. They collectively grumbled, rolled their eyes, and stood to get back to work, leaving her alone in the break room with no one to boss around.

Andy, it turned out, was the CFO of Steve's new company and a part-owner, and he didn't exactly seem thrilled to meet Steve.

"Andy!" Wes boomed as he barged into his office.

"Wes," he grumbled, "I've asked you to knock."

"I know you have, but you know I hate to do it. Anyhoo, this," he said, gesturing proudly to Steve, "is Steve Urkel."

Andy returned his eyes to the work on his desk. "Mhmm. Nice to meet you."

Steve stepped forward and offered his hand. "It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Ward. I'm really grateful for this opportunity."

"They always are," he replied under his breath.

Steve furrowed his brow.

"Oh, Andy, stop," Wes scolded with a wave of his hand.

"No, Wes, you always do this," Andy said, looking up again. "You see some young hotshot on the news who invented this or invented that, and you bring them in here. We sign them, you get bored with them, and they end up being total duds. I'm sick of it."

"This time is different," Wes promised. "Steve's the guy. I can feel it."

Wes continued as Andy spoke with him in unison, "He's got the heart this company needs. He's a dreamer."

Wes looked at Andy in annoyance.

"It's always the same," Andy said.

Steve, who had been nervously watching this unfold, spoke up. "Uh… I don't know about the other guys, but I really need this job."

"And you have it," Wes said firmly.

"For one year," Andy finished. "Why do you think our contracts are so short?"

Steve gulped nervously, "Well, I'm going to need it to be longer than that."

Andy glanced up at him. "Why's that? Most of the guys Wes brings in are happy just to have something on their résumés. They find something easily after he's done with them."

"Well, I just got married, and we really need the money. I can't take the risk of being between jobs again. I want to make things work here."

"Hm. Well, you'd be the first."

"I guess I'll just have to impress you," Steve said firmly.

Andy rolled his eyes and returned to his work. Steve took that as his sign to leave.

Laura struggled through her first few hours. She was relieved when lunch finally rolled around. She walked into the break room and once again found all eyes on her. Silence rang through the room the second she walked in. She moved immediately to the fridge and grabbed her lunch. She began to head back to her office.

"Laura," Myra called as she passed her.

Laura stopped and turned to Myra. She said a silent prayer that this conversation wouldn't be too awful. She had had enough stress for one day, and it was only noon. "Hey, Myra. How are you feeling?" she asked with a sympathetic cock of her head.

"Oh, I've been better," Myra said softly.

Laura nodded.

"How's your first day going?" Myra asked.

Laura raised an eyebrow at her. Was that genuine concern? "It's been pretty awful," Laura replied honestly.

"Yeah, we all got called last night. Nobody seemed too happy about it."

Laura shrugged.

"It's the right thing to do, though, Laura," Myra acknowledged. "This was the only way they'd get rid of Waxman right away."

Laura nodded. She was right. "Yeah. Thanks. I think I needed to be reminded of that."

Myra nodded. "Well, um… I guess I'll go clock-in."

"Hey, Myra," Laura said, making her stop as she began to turn away, "do you want to eat lunch with me?" Laura couldn't believe she had said that. She immediately kicked herself for trying to put poor Myra through that.

"Um. Wow, I'd like to Laura," Myra lied, "but I really have to get to work."

Laura nodded. "Right, of course," she said dismissively. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Myra half-smiled and turned to head to the break room.

Steve was also forced to eat alone. After receiving a personal tour from the CEO and part-owner, people were very suspicious of him. They weren't sure why he was getting so much special attention, and they did not appreciate it. Steve tried to follow his lab mates down to the cafeteria, but as they entered the room, they immediately split off into separate, pre-established groups. Steve felt like he was the geeky guy in high school all over again. He took his sack lunch, and he found an empty spot where he ate completely alone.

By the end of the day, Laura had had it. She was sick of the attitude, she was sick of the insubordination, and she was sick of people. She locked up her office at five, on the dot, and she headed immediately outside to wait for Steve. If only he hadn't been an hour late.

She climbed into the car when he finally showed up. "Where have you been?" she whined.

"I'm sorry, Turtledove. I'm still trying to get used to everything at work, and I just lost track of time," he answered.

Laura looked at his tired, disappointed eyes and saw that she wasn't alone in the crummy day club. She sighed, "I'm sorry. I understand. My day was crazy, too. I'm just so ready to get home."

"Me, too," he agreed. He placed a hand on her knee and squeezed. "Only a few more days and we'll have a home of our own to run to," he smiled.

She genuinely smiled back. "I know," she breathed. "I can't wait."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It wasn't that big of a deal. It was just… people. Do you wanna talk?"

"No," he answered softly.

She frowned at him. "It was your first day, Steve. I wanna hear about it."

"Later, Cuddle Bug, ok?"

She nodded as he began to pull away from the building. "Hey, can we go get the Isetta? I don't really wanna be trapped here anymore. We can pay for a couple of extra overnights at Eddie's, right?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. We can start packing some stuff up, too," he suggested.

Laura couldn't contain her smile. "I love that plan," she purred, moving closer to him.

He placed an arm around her hesitantly. "Oh, you do, do you?" he smirked. "You like the idea of you and me… all alone… in our bedrooms…" he rumbled, his voice dripping with lust, "with packaging tape and packing peanuts?"

She bit her lip. "Mmmmm… Mhmm… I love fantasizing about you filling _box_ after _box_ …" she whispered, running a hand down his chest.

He shivered as he felt his manhood stir. "Ok, my little vixen, we need to stop there. I'm starting to feel… things."

She giggled and sat up straight in her seat. "I don't know what you're talking about," she teased. "I was just talkin' about packing."

He laughed and snorted.

She turned to smile at him, thrilled to hear him snort again after he had clearly had such a rough day.

When they arrived at the Winslow's, they parked behind the house, hoping to make packing a little simpler, and walked in through the back door, hand-in-hand. Harriette and Carl were both seated at the kitchen table. "Hey, Ma," Laura said as they entered. "Hey, Daddy." Laura released Steve's hand and kissed both her parents on their cheeks.

Steve approached Harriette. "Hi, Mom," he chirped brightly, kissing her cheek. He turned awkwardly to Carl. "Carl," he said with a firm nod. That was the best he could muster, and he tried.

Laura looked at him and cringed. She hated to see him greet her father so coldly, but she certainly didn't blame him. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt for not standing by her man, whether he had wanted her to or not.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Carl said, forcing himself into overly-cheery territory. "Hi, Steve, what are you two doing here?" He looked directly at Steve as he asked, hoping he'd be able to get a direct response, but he got only silence.

Laura waited for as long as she could stand it, but she eventually had to chime in. "We're picking up the Isetta and taking the first load of boxes to the apartment… which means we need to pack some boxes."

"Oh, do you guys need some help?" Carl offered.

"No," Steve answered sharply.

Laura winced as she watched her father's face fall. Sure, he deserved it, but he was still her dad. "Um… No, I think Steve's right. We're good for tonight, but we could sure use everybody's help for the official move this weekend. We got a U-Haul, but we can't do it all ourselves. Plus, we want everybody to see the place, don't we, Steve?" she prompted, grabbing and squeezing his hand.

He looked back at her and relaxed. He wasn't trying to be a jerk. This was honestly his best effort. Whether he wanted Carl there Saturday or not didn't matter. He was Laura's father, and she clearly wanted him there. Plus, Steve definitely wanted the rest of the Winslows at his side for this important milestone in their lives. It was a package deal, and he knew that. "Abso-tutle-utely!" he grinned.

Laura exhaled in relief. She moved a little closer to him. "Hey, Baby?"

"Yes, my little, love muffin?" he purred dreamily.

She suppressed a goofy grin. "Why don't you head out to the garage and grab some boxes for us?"

"With pleasure, Packing Peanut," he chirped, kissing her on the cheek as he practically skipped out the door.

When the door had completely closed, Laura looked at her father uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about him. He's trying, really."

Carl nodded. "I know he is. That's what makes it so awful."

"You really hurt him, Daddy," Laura said softly.

"I know, Laura, but I truly am sorry about that. I don't know what else I can say."

Laura shook her head. "I don't think you can say anything. I think you just need to be patient. He'll come around… I hope."

"He will, Laura," Harriette said firmly. "Steve is the most forgiving man I know. Heck, you treated him like dirt for fifteen years, and he married you!"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Great, Mom," she said sarcastically. "Look, Daddy, just try to be supportive of us this weekend. That's the best advice I have. Maybe if you're there for us in such a big moment, that'll kind of show him that you're really sorry and that you've really given us your blessing."

Suddenly, Steve burst back into the room carrying an armful of flattened boxes. "Ready to get to work, Babycakes?"

Laura turned to him and nodded. "Sure, Steve." She began to follow him toward the stairs and turned back to her parents. She shrugged and pursed her lips. They'd just all have to wait and see.

They started in Laura's room, not wanting to pack separately. They packed up a lot of mundane things, like her books and her shoes, but occasionally, something would catch Steve's eye.

"Oh, Laura, you big softie," he cooed at one point as he was going through her dresser.

She set down the t-shirt she was folding and turned to him. "What is it?" she asked as she moved to stand above where he was seated on the ground.

"It's Celestial Object Number D42750-B-6218, also known as _Laura_ ," he purred, waving the certificate at her.

She smiled brightly and tried to take it from his hands.

"Uh-uh, my little hoarder," he scolded as he pulled it closer to his chest and stood. "Why did you hang on to this for all these years?" he asked, turning to face her.

She took a deep breath and sighed, "Because I've secretly been madly in love with you since that day and just wanted to make you sweat it out."

His eyes widened, and he gasped dramatically. With a stomp of his foot, he boomed, "I knew it!" He pointed at her accusingly.

She laughed and shook her head. She smacked his arm and took the certificate from him. "Boy, hush. I was kidding."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Mhmm… Sure, you were," he said suspiciously.

She looked at the certificate and ran her fingers over it. "No, I don't know," she said eventually. "It was a really sweet gift, and I remember thinking… Well, you remember how I set you up with Susie Crenshaw like two minutes after you gave this to me, right?" she asked as she sat on her bed.

He sat beside her and nodded, "Mhmm…"

"And I'm sure you remember that I was maybe… kind of… just a _little_ jealous of her, right?" she said with a sly smile.

He smiled confidently. "Oh, you know I do, Baby. I used to love seeing the green-eyed monster cloud those gorgeous brown eyes. Heck, who am I kidding? I still do."

She smiled and glanced away shyly. "So I remember thinking…" she continued wistfully, "What if this is the last time I get a gift this romantic from a guy?" Laura looked up at him, expecting him to tease her or flirt with her, but she was surprised as his eyes locked quickly onto his shoes.

"Did you really think that, Laura?" he asked softly.

She cocked her head at him. "Yes, Steve, of course. I wouldn't lie to you."

"And you're not exaggerating at all?" he probed.

"Steve, I really remember this moment vividly. Damn, I've saved it for nearly a decade. Doesn't that kind of corroborate my story?"

He glanced up at her. "That's very sweet, Laura Lee."

She pursed her lips. "No, it's not. You were the sweet one. I was just barely smart enough to know a good gift when I saw it… And I do mean barely."

"No, Sweetums, really. I'm touched that you took notice of me like that, especially that long ago."

Laura blushed. "Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while."

"Can we get this framed and hang it in our apartment?"

Laura smiled. "That is a great idea, Honey."

"Ok, I'll stop at the framer's on my way home from work tomorrow," he said firmly as he stood.

"Good. And, Steve?"

"Do you remember what you asked me after you gave it to me?"

"No," he said, surprised.

"You asked me if I was so touched that I'd be willing to lip wrestle you."

Steve bit his lip. "Oh, did I?"

Laura nodded. "Uh-huh and maybe it's a few years too late, but I would really like the chance to… _pin you, Baby_ ," she said, imitating Classic Urkel swagger with dramatically puckered lips.

He laughed and snorted, sitting beside her again. He took the certificate from her hands and set it on her nightstand. Then he laid her back on the bed and climbed on top of her. He smiled at her sweetly as he leaned over her face. He stroked her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear as he leaned forward. Slowly, he pressed his lips to hers.

When they heard a knock at the door, Laura's blouse was unbuttoned, and Steve's hands were groping her breasts over her bra. They jumped and pulled away from each other. They both sat up, and Laura began to button her shirt as quickly as possible. She glanced at the clock. They had only lost twenty minutes. That wasn't too bad.

Steve wiped the lipstick smudged on and around his lips and headed for the door. He waited until Laura was dressed and had busied herself with some packing supplies. Then he opened the door. "Hi, Carl," Steve said as he saw who it was. "You need something?"

"Uh… No, Steve, I just thought you guys might be hungry. We're about to eat dinner, and we made plenty," he offered.

Steve glanced at Laura and tried to read her mind. How much would she want to do that? She looked at him and shrugged, indicating that it was up to him, but he focused on her facial expression. She looked almost desperate. He hated to see that look on her face. That look told him that he was causing her poor, tiny tummy all kinds of troubles. He turned back to Carl with new resolve. "We'd love to, Carl."

Carl smiled, slightly relieved. "Ok," he breathed, "then I'll see you down there, Buddy." He playfully punched Steve's arm, but overshot it.

"OW!" Steve yelped as he clutched his arm.

"Oops. Sorry, Steve," Carl cringed.

Steve rolled his eyes and shrugged. "We'll see you down there, Carl," Steve said as he closed the door. He turned back to Laura, still rubbing his arm.

She looked down at the box she was taping. "We don't have to," she offered quietly, "if you don't want to."

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Sweetums, he's your family. It's fine. I want to."

"Don't lie to me, Steve," she reminded him gently.

He sighed, "Ok, I don't _want to_ want to, but I want to for _you_. Really."

She nodded and turned around, pressing her front to him. "Ok. I guess that's ok."

"But tonight," he insisted, "I want to see my heavenly hottie's celestial body as a thank-you."

She blushed and smiled at him with her lips tightly closed to hide her impending, giggly grin. "Absolutely, Space Nerd," she teased.

He growled at her playfully and pulled her closer, kissing her again.

Dinner was as awkward as they had all expected, but Carl never stopped trying. "So, Steve," he continued eventually, having exhausted many topics of conversation, including their new apartment, the weather, sports, and school. "I've been dying to hear all day. How do you like your new job?"

"Oh, Daddy, maybe that's not the best topic," Laura interrupted. "He had a rough first day."

Steve patted her knee. "That's ok, Sweetheart. Well, Carl, everyone there seems to hate me, so it's not all that different from most places I've worked… or lived."

"Steve!" Laura scolded sharply.

Carl set down his fork and knife and sighed. "Steve, I–"

"No, Carl," Steve interrupted, "Laura's right. That was totally out of line. I'm sorry. I'm very grateful to you for housing me for all those years. If you hadn't taken me in when you did, I'd be all alone and living in Russia, instead of moving into a gorgeous apartment with my even more stunning wife this weekend." He grabbed Laura's knee and squeezed it. "I apologize, Carl."

"That's ok, Steve. I understand what it's like to… overreact from time to time and to take your stresses out on the wrong person."

Steve nodded. "I'm gonna go pack," he said softly. "We have a lot left."

"Steve," Laura said, "you haven't finished your dinner."

"Don't sweat it, Pet. I've had just about enough," he said. He kissed the top of her head as he stood and turned to head for the stairs.

When Laura went back up to her room after dinner, she found Steve lying on her bed. "Hi, Handsome," she said as she walked in and closed the door behind her.

"Hi, Sweetness," he answered, staring intently at whatever was in his hand.

"That was quite an exit," she mused as she sat on the edge of her bed and turned to look at him.

"I'm so sorry, Sugar Toes. I didn't mean to make a scene. I just ran out of patience, and I wanted to leave before I made a bigger one," he explained, fiddling with a little metal band in his hand.

"That's ok, Steve. Thank you for trying," she said softly.

"I'll always try for you, my queen," he promised.

Finally, the twinkling in Steve's hand caught her eye. "What's that?" she asked, reaching for the sparkling object.

Steve half-smiled and opened his hand, revealing the ID bracelet he had bought for her so many years ago. "I keep this box… Well, now it's a couple of boxes… of gifts you wouldn't accept when I tried to give them to you. That's where your ring was waiting for you for all these years, after I bought it back from your mother," he smiled, grabbing her left hand with his free hand.

She took the bracelet from him and held it closer to her face. She giggled as she read the mistaken inscription again. "I couldn't wish for a better husband… _Sleeve_ ," she joked.

He snorted. "Hey, you know I've only got _glove_ for you, Baby."

She smiled at his joke and examined the bracelet more closely. It really was gorgeous. She hadn't noticed at the time, but it was beautiful, and the silver wasn't bad for what he must have paid Waldo. Still, she knew it was best that she hadn't accepted it then. It wouldn't have been right to take accept his jewelry one day and shun him the next. Now, on the other hand… "Why'd you pull this out, Steve?"

"I don't know. A little because I wanted to show you that I keep stuff, too, a little because I wanted to reminisce some more, a little to apologize for my behavior at dinner."

She looked back down at him. "Sooooo… can I keep it?" she asked.

He grinned. "Why yes indeedie, Sweetie! It was a gift. It belongs to you… just like my heart."

She smiled at him and excitedly placed it on her wrist. As she finished with the clasp, she leaned over him. "Thank you, Steve," she purred, kissing him again. "I love it."

"And I love you," he replied.

"I love you, too," she answered. She paused for a moment before adding, "So somewhere in this house, you have a box full of presents for me?"

"Yup! Two of them!" he chirped, sitting up as the sight of his ID bracelet on her wrist began to cheer him up.

'Where?" she asked bluntly.

He stood up and smiled down at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would," she said firmly.

"Well, maybe we'll find them in the move."

She approached him slowly. "I want those presents, Steve Urkel," she pressed playfully.

"And you'll get them," he replied with a grand gesture of his arms, "when you earn them."

She scoffed and advanced on him. "C'mere."

"Nuh-uh," he answered, backing away toward the door.

"C'mere, Baby," she purred sweetly.

"Not happenin'," he said flatly as he opened the door to prepare his escape route.

"Get over here!" she yelled as she began to chase him out of the room and around the house.

Though Steve didn't give in and tell her where the present-filled boxes were, they did manage to pack and load two cars full of boxes from Laura's room. They dropped what they could off at the apartment and headed back to Eddie's. He was working that night, and given the opportunity, they preferred the idea of making love in a bed.

They walked in, kissing passionately and running their hands all over each other. Steve carefully guided her to the couch and pushed her down. He climbed on top of her and began to unbutton her blouse again. They both jumped when they heard a loud, trumpet-like noise behind the couch.

Steve sat up and looked. It was Eddie blowing his nose. "Hey, Eddo," he said nervously as he glanced down to ensure that Laura had begun to button up, "what are you doing here? We thought you were working."

"I'm sick," he pouted, his voice nasally due to his clogged nose.

Laura sat up. "So you're gonna be home all night?" she pouted.

"Yeah, so keep your hands off each other. I haven't thrown up yet, but I don't wanna start," he grumbled as he grabbed the box of tissues he had come out for and headed back into his bedroom. He slammed the door behind him.

Laura looked disappointedly at Steve. "Great," she said, frustrated.

Steve took a big breath and sighed. "Then I guess we better just make up the bed and try to get some sleep, huh?"

"I guess," she agreed, standing.

They made their bed and did their nightly routines. When Laura was done taking off her makeup and washing her face, Steve was already in bed. She climbed in beside him and lay down. She curled up next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on his chest, and he stroked her hair. "God," she breathed, "I want you so bad."

"Oh, Sweetums, please, don't tempt me," he begged.

"I won't. I'm not trying to. I'm just… I'm just so horny," she admitted with a small giggle.

"Laura," he scolded softly, glancing around nervously as if he were afraid somebody else had heard, "don't talk like that."

She turned on her stomach, so she could see him better and prop her head up. "I'm sorry, Steve, but it's true. You were so sweet to me today, and I had had such a bad day. I just want you to climb on top of me and make it all go away," she pouted.

"Sweetheart, you're killing me here," he said, his voice strained.

She sighed, disappointedly. "Let's just get some sleep," she suggested, turning away so he could spoon her. She felt his hard member poke into her as he wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Do you want me to–?"

"No, it's fine," he interrupted. "I'm fine. Goodnight, Sweetums. I love you."

"I love you, too, Baby. Goodnight."

Thursday was no better. They both struggled through their days at work. Laura struggled to control her employees. Steve struggled with his coworkers. As this trend continued into Friday, they both began to accept that this was how their lives would be. Their nights weren't any better. They spent all of Thursday and Friday night furniture shopping. They came home to Eddie's, and he was still there, sick and coughing up a lung. If that wasn't a big enough deterrent, they were both too tired to do anything anyway.

Finally, Saturday rolled around. When Laura woke up, she was alone in bed. She looked around for Steve, but didn't see him. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash in the kitchen and climbed out of bed. She walked back to find him crouched on the ground, picking up the spilled contents of Eddie's silverware drawer and tossing them in the sink to be washed. Laura was just glad it wasn't plates. "Good morning, Steve," she said softly, leaning in the doorframe.

"Good morning, Sunshine," he chirped, turning around to look at her as he continued cleaning up. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

She shook her head. "No, I was awake before the crash."

He nodded. "Oh, good."

She walked over to the table where her breakfast was waiting.

As Steve picked up the last fork, he walked over to the table to join her. "Happy move-in day, my pet," he purred as he pulled the cover off of her breakfast.

"Thank you, Steve, but you didn't have to all this," she said as she began to dig in.

"I wanted to," he insisted as he also began to eat.

She shook her head at him. "I would have been fine with a bowl of cereal."

"I know, but we have a big day ahead of us. You need protein, and I wanted to celebrate."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, Honey Biscuits."

After breakfast, they showered and dressed in jeans and t-shirts. Even Eddie, as sick as he was, managed to haul himself out of bed for the event. They all drove to the Winslow house in separate cars to add to the cavalry. When they walked in the back door, everyone was already waiting for them.

"It's about time you three showed up," Harriette said as they walked in.

"Yeah, we've been up and ready for an hour and a half," Rachel complained.

"We told you ten," Laura said, kissing her grandma on the cheek.

"You did, but we were all too excited," Harriette grinned, hugging Steve.

"Is Max here yet?" Laura asked.

"Yup," Max called as she walked down the stairs. "I was just packing up your granny panties," she joked, handing an old pair of underwear to Laura.

Laura's eyes widened. "Max!" she scolded, shoving them in her pocket. She turned to Steve and added, "I only wear them on laundry day."

His eyes widened, and he looked down at his shoes. Though he was getting more and more confident when they were alone, he still wasn't very good at acknowledging their sex-life in front of others, and Laura had accepted that he probably never would be. He looked back up at her as he felt her arm wrap around him.

"Ok," Carl said quickly. Despite realizing the error of his ways, he still felt very uncomfortable when his little girl's sex-life came up. "So, now that everyone's here, we can get started. Steve, why don't you and I go get the truck so we can pick up the furniture?"

Steve's eyebrows furrowed. "I thought you and Eddie were gonna do that."

"He's too sick," Carl answered immediately.

"No, I'm n–" Eddie began to argue before Harriette's hand landed hard on the back of his head.

Laura cringed. Did they have to be so obvious?

"Well, I don't think I can, Carl. My room is still unpacked," Steve responded.

"We can take care of all that, Steve," Harriette answered.

Laura could tell they had planned this little bonding adventure in advance. Steve looked to Laura for help. "Mom, Steve has a lot of science-y stuff that we won't know how to pack. Maybe, he'd better–"

"Oh, we'll figure it out!" she said firmly.

Laura looked at Steve and shrugged.

He sighed and turned to Carl. "All right," Steve said. "Then we better get going." He kissed Laura on the cheek and headed for the backdoor, following right behind Carl.

As soon as the door was closed, Laura turned to her mother. "Ma, did you really have to ambush Steve like that? This is supposed to be a fun day for us."

"You'll thank me later," she promised. She stared Laura down, but Laura didn't budge. "Oh, c'mon, Honey. Don't you want our boys to get along?"

"Of course, I do, Mom, but not at Steve's expense," Laura argued in exasperation. "I feel like I keep repeating myself, but Steve has been hurt so many times. If he doesn't want to embrace a relationship with my father right now, I'm not going to force him to. He's done enough for me. I should be protecting _him_ now."

Estelle grabbed Laura's hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad to see you're in that poor boy's corner, Sugar."

Laura looked gratefully down at her grandmother, seated in front of her. "It's just… We're the only family he's ever known."

"I know," Estelle nodded knowingly.

"He feels so betrayed by what Dad did. He really felt like his son, and then Daddy treated him like he would have treated any random guy I brought home."

Estelle nodded again.

Laura looked back at her mother. "Don't try anything like that again, Mom. I want them to get along, but it's more important to me that Steve doesn't get hurt again."

Harriette pursed her lips. "Ok, Honey. I'm sorry."

Laura looked away uncomfortably.

Rachel cleared her throat. " _Ahem_. So… Um. Are we gonna pack or what?"

"So," Carl began as he pulled out of the driveway, "you two must be excited to get a place of your own, huh?"

"Mhmm," Steve mumbled.

"You know, it's not easy living with a woman. You guys really haven't had to deal with much of the hard parts yet, but you'll see as you start to unpack. You think it's as much your apartment as it is hers, but it's not."

Steve remained silent.

"I remember when Harriette and I first got married, I had this lounge chair. Now, I'll admit, that thing was hideous," he chuckled uncomfortably, "but it was a real man's chair." He glanced at Steve out of the corner of his eye. "You know what I mean, Steve?"

Steve grumbled softly in response, "Yup."

"So, anyway. We had just moved in, and my buddies and I were unloading the truck. I, like the naïve idiot that I was, decided to put my favorite chair in the living room. It was the first thing you could see when you walked in the door. Harriette walked in, laughed, and ordered me to move it. I refused, and I had to sleep in that damn thing for two weeks," Carl laughed. He looked at Steve. Steve didn't react at all.

Since Laura and Steve had spent most of the other day packing up Laura's room, it was mostly done. Laura packed up the last few boxes in there, and then the boys began to take them downstairs. Laura met Harriette, Rachel, Estelle, and Max in Steve's room. They couldn't help but chat as they packed up his more interesting possessions.

"Ah!" Rachel screamed.

"What is it?" Harriette asked as they all turned to Rachel.

Laura walked over to her and gently took the framed tarantula out of her hands. "Careful. It's Steve's bug collection. I made him take them down when we started dating, but they're very important to him. They're practically the only family he had growing up," Laura mused as she began to wrap them in bubble wrap.

"I can see the resemblance," Max quipped, peaking over her shoulder.

"Laura," Harriette began, "what is this?" She held up a jar filled with fluid with a tiny thing inside.

Laura glanced up from the bugs she was bubble wrapping. "Oh," she said casually as she returned to her work. "That's Alfred."

"Alfred?" Harriette repeated.

"Steve's appendix."

"Ooo!" Harriette jumped in disgust and set the jar back down.

Laura rolled her eyes. "Hey, you were the one who volunteered us to pack up Steve's stuff."

"I know, but I didn't expect his stuff to be so… weird," Harriette grumbled.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at her, deadpan.

"Ok," she shrugged, "maybe I didn't think it through."

"Mhmm…" Laura grumbled.

Most of Carl and Steve's drive continued like that. Carl would try to tell a story or make a joke, and Steve would remain as unresponsive as possible without being too rude. When they arrived at the store, they pulled in at the loading dock. They parked and walked inside. Steve approached the counter.

"Hello, Sir, how can I help you today?" the man behind the counter offered.

"We're here to pick up a couch, a chair, a coffee table, two end tables, a kitchen table, and four dining chairs," he said, reading off of the list Laura had given him. "It should be under Urkel."

"Oh, yeah," the man said, leaning forward more casually and resting his arms on the counter. "You were the one who came in with that fine honey a couple of days ago. Yo, man, you know if she's single?"

Steve's brow furrowed, and Carl rolled his eyes and huffed. Steve stood up a little straighter and said firmly, "Sorry, Bub. She's taken."

"Dang, all the hotties are," he complained. He grinned and bit his lip. "She sure is sexy, though, with that big, thick booty. Mmm… I would give anything to bend her over a table and just–" Suddenly, he noticed the disgusted look on Steve's face and the horrified one on Carl's. "Oh, yo, I'm sorry. She your sister or somethin'?"

"She's my wife!" Steve shouted, his voice reaching new heights of pitch.

The man stared at him in surprise and then began to laugh. "Aw, Bro, you had me goin' there for a minute. Hoo! I was really worried."

"Had you going?" he repeated. "This isn't a prank. She really is my wife, and if that's how you speak about her, I might feel the need to let your manager in on the joke."

"Oh," he said softly as he grew convinced that Steve was serious. "For real? How'd you get a babe like that?"

"I treated her with respect!"

"Ohhhh… Yeah, that's somethin' I gotta work on," he acknowledged with a thoughtful nod.

"You're darn right!" Steve exclaimed.

"Hey, look, Man. I'm sorry about that. Tell ya what. I'll have my men load up the truck for you free of charge. You guys will just have to unload." He looked Carl and Steve up and down. "You sure you don't want to pay for delivery?"

"Just load the truck!" Steve barked, walking back toward the dock with his list in hand. Laura was very clear that he had to check every item to make sure there were no mistakes.

Carl followed Steve out to the loading dock and stood next to him as they waited. Eventually, he turned to Steve. "Do people talk about Laura that way a lot?"

Steve glanced up from his list. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It happens a lot."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

Steve looked up again and stared at him. "Was I not clear that I was bothered by it?"

"No, Steve, you were. That's not what I mean."

Steve looked back at his list.

"I just mean… How do you listen to that kind of stuff all the time and not go into a jealous rage every time you're out together?"

Steve sighed. "It's hard," he admitted.

Carl nodded, accepting that Steve was still too mad at him to give him much more than a few words. He was shocked when Steve continued.

"I've watched Laura date a lot of guys, and it was hard every, single time. Now, she comes home to me. She promises herself to me. She does everything she can to remind me that our relationship has changed. I don't like the way guys talk about her… or to her, for that matter. I don't like the way they look at her. I don't like the way everyone thinks I'm kidding when I explain that she's my wife. I don't like any of that, but if I let all that out, if I get mad and jealous all the time, it hurts Laura's feelings. It makes her think that I don't trust her, and I understand that because a part of me really doesn't trust her. I'm constantly terrified she's going to fall out of love with me… that she's going to wake up one day and realize she can't stand me," Steve said, pausing to let Carl's own words sink in. "But you can't live like that. I can't be that angry and scared all the time, and if I were, she really would fall out of love with me. When I have to sit through conversations like that, I just remind myself that she turned me down for fifteen years. She got pretty good at rejecting me after a while. If she didn't truly want to be with me, she wouldn't be, but she is with me, so I must be doing something right."

"Wow," Estelle said as she picked up a binder, "Steve has a lot of baseball cards."

Laura looked back at her. "Mhmm… And some of them are really rare."

"They sure are!" Estelle said excitedly. "He's got a Mickey Mantle Rookie Card!"

"I didn't know you liked baseball, Mother Winslow," Rachel said.

"Oh, I like a little bit of everything, Honey," she replied.

"I didn't know Steve liked baseball either," Rachel said, peeking over Estelle's shoulder at the binder.

"People don't give Steve enough credit for stuff like that. He loves sports. He particularly enjoys the statistics and the collecting, but he does love sports. Remember how good he is at basketball?" Laura asked.

They all nodded as they replayed the memory in their heads. He _was_ good at basketball. It was weird.

Laura smiled as a different memory came flooding back to her, making her stomach warm all over again with one of Steve's incredible gestures. "He used to have two of those, you know," she said as she walked to where her grandmother was seated and pointed at the Mickey card.

"Shut up!" Estelle said.

Laura laughed. "It's true."

"Well, what happened to the other one?" Max asked.

"Oh, I remember," Rachel said as her jaw dropped. "He gave the other one to Johnny Gill to embarrass me by having him serenade me in curlers."

Harriette looked at her. "What is wrong with you? Do you see what everyone else does only in the way it affects you?"

"Well, it was embarrassing!"

"He gave him the card so Johnny Gill would serenade Laura. It was sweet," Harriette smiled at Laura.

Laura blushed. "It was more than sweet. It was one of the most amazing things anyone has ever done for me."

"Hey, now," Harriette interjected, "I gave birth to you. He just gave away a little piece of cardboard."

"A little piece of cardboard worth over 50,000 dollars," Estelle estimated.

Laura's knees gave out, and she collapsed immediately to Steve's bed. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"

"Well, that's just an estimate, Sugar, but this looks like mint-condition. I assume the other one was, too. I would guess it'd pull about 50k now. Probably, about the same a few years ago. It'll only go up, too."

Laura couldn't breathe. "Why would he do that? _I'm_ not even worth 50,000 dollars!"

"He seems to think you are," Estelle said firmly.

"Oh, my God," Laura moaned as guilt flooded over her. She rested her head in her palms. He didn't even get that kiss he was promised out of the deal.

"Girl, stop whining," Max said. "You need a plan. How are you gonna get him to sell the other one?"

Laura sat up and looked at her. "I'm not gonna ask him to do that!"

"Why not? He traded the last one for you. Now, you're sleeping with him. I'm sure he'd sell this one," Max said, taking the Rookie Card from Estelle.

Laura stood and grabbed it. "Nobody is allowed to touch this," she said firmly. "I'm gonna go put it in my purse so that it doesn't get lost in the move."

When everything was loaded at the first store, they headed to the second and the third to get the rest of what they had bought. Carl watched in awe as piece after piece was loaded onto the truck. He wasn't sure what Steve's signing bonus was, but it seemed to be decent. They didn't buy the best of the best, but they didn't buy the cheap stuff either, and there sure was a lot of it. His first apartment had been furnished with that chair he had told Steve about and a futon. Theirs certainly wasn't. When they had picked up the last item, they began to head back to the Winslow's for the boxes, though Carl was suddenly concerned there wouldn't be enough room.

As they were driving, Carl decided to try to get him to open up again. "You know, Steve, I really hated hearing that guy talk about Laura like that, too."

Steve glanced at him. "I'm sure you did."

"Can you imagine hearing someone talk about your own daughter like that?"

"Hm. I would've knocked his lights out."

Carl smiled. "Yeah, you think that when they're born, and you think that when they first start dating, but eventually, you learn that it's really not worth it."

Steve looked at him. "You seemed to think it was worth it when you were shutting me out."

Carl looked at him seriously but then back at the road. "Yeah, I did. And look where that got me. My son-in-law hates me, my relationship with my daughter is on very thin ice, and no matter what I say, I know I can't take back those couple of weeks."

"I don't hate you, Carl," Steve said eventually.

"You don't?"

"Of course not, Big Guy. I could never hate you after everything you've done for me, but I also don't see how you can expect me to go back to worshipping you the way I did after the way you talked to me… and about me."

"I don't need you to worship me, Steve. All I want is for you to be my friend again."

"I'm just not there yet, Carl," Steve admitted.

When the last box was taped shut, they hauled them down to the living room. It wasn't long after that that Steve and Carl came back. "Wow!" Steve said as he walked into the living room. "We have way too much stuff," Steve suddenly realized.

Harriette laughed. "That's ok, Steve. We've got six cars and a truck to help you move it all."

"You didn't count the Isetta, did you?" he asked, leaning in closer to her.

"No," she said firmly, "you can't fit anything in there. By the way, now that you have a big boy job, don't you think it's time you got rid of that clown car?"

He stood up straight and furrowed his brow. "I like it."

"Laura hates it," Max reminded him as she picked up a box.

"Good point," Steve nodded. "Hey! Where _is_ my picky little passenger?"

"Upstairs," Max called as she headed out to the truck.

Steve bounded up the stairs to find Laura.

Laura was seated at her window when Steve poked his head into her room. "Sweetums?" he said softly.

She glanced over at him. "Hey," she smiled.

"Truck's here," he said.

"Did you get everything on the list?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said confidently as he walked in. "Checked it twice, just like Santa Claus."

She chuckled. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problemo, Chica!" he said as he sat beside her. "Did you get everything out of my room?"

"Mhmm..."

"Thank you for that," he chirped.

Laura quickly wiped a few tears from her cheeks as they slipped out against her will.

Steve's eyes widened. "Laura, my pet, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, sniffling and wiping her tears again. "It's stupid."

"Nothing that goes through that big brain of yours is stupid, my sweet," he said gently, wrapping an arm around her as she leaned into him.

"I'm not ready to be a grown-up," she sobbed as his support opened the floodgates.

Steve had to admit, he hadn't seen that coming. He rubbed her back as she cried, and he tried to process this new information. "Laura Lee, what do you mean? I hate to break it to you, but you already are a grown-up. Based on some of the things _we've_ been doing lately, you are very, very, very grown-up," he said as their naughty nightlife flashed before his eyes.

"I know!" she whined. "And I hate it!"

Steve looked down at her, now filled with real worry. "You hate our sex-life?" he asked softly.

"No!" she said, sitting up to look at him. She wiped her eyes again. "No, Honey, not at all. I love that," she pressed. She placed her hands on his cheeks. "You are my favorite part of being a grown-up." She pouted. "It's all the other stuff I hate."

"Like what?"

"Like work and school and bills and fighting with my parents and fighting with my boss and all of these stupid things that we never had to deal with when we were kids."

Steve chuckled. "C'mon, Sweetheart, you're being silly."

"I know that!" she said. "That's what I tried to tell you!" She looked around her room for a moment. "Do you remember all of the ridiculous things that happened to us in here?"

"Like that time I climbed into your bed and pretended to be you so you could go study at the library?"

"Yes," she smiled.

"Or that time I serenaded you with my accordion from that tree?" he reminded her, pointing out the window.

"Which time?" she giggled.

"Take your pick! It always ended in disaster."

"What about that time you brought an orangutan into my bedroom?"

He chuckled. "And he kissed Rachel?"

"How _is_ Lowell?" Laura asked, genuinely concerned

"He's good," Steve answered with a firm nod. "He was sorry to miss the wedding, but the zookeeper just wouldn't let him out."

"You invited an ape to our wedding?" Laura laughed.

"Well, of course, I did! You're lucky he wasn't the best man!"

Laura giggled and wiped her tears again. "You see, Steve. That's exactly what I mean. I feel like I missed all the fun because I was so busy trying to get rid of you. Now, we're all grown up and boring!"

He shook his head at her. "Oh, Gum Drop, that's crazy. You married Steve Urkel. Your life is not gonna be boring. Look at the last couple of weeks. Were you bored?"

"Well, no," Laura admitted.

"Then what are you so worried about?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't know. I just feel like… Saying goodbye to this room is like saying goodbye to those little kids… I hate that."

"Well, I don't!" he said. She cocked her head at him. "Laura! You could barely stand to be around me back then. I say goodbye and good riddance. I'm much happier now! Aren't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I kind of miss the little boy that you were."

"Sweetums, I'm exactly the same. You're the only one who's changed."

She looked up at him. He had a point, and she certainly didn't miss who she used to be. "Do you ever miss the way things were between us?" she asked earnestly.

He looked at her seriously. "Sometimes."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it was us, my love. Don't get me wrong. I will always choose you being madly in love with me over you treating me like a bug you just can't squash, but a tiny part of me misses the chase."

"I kinda miss being chased," she admitted.

"Hm. Well, then I guess I'll have to step it up a bit. What do you say tomorrow night I bring you _two_ orangutans?" he offered with a wiggle of his brow.

She laughed hard and smacked his chest. "I love you," she said, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I love you, too," he promised. He leaned in and kissed her softly. She pulled him in deeper. When she released his lips, he glanced at the bed. "What do you say we lock that door and live out one of my old fantasies?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, you were right," she purred.

"About what?"

"You are anything but boring," she whispered, hopping into his lap. She kissed him hard and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

" _Ahem_." A voice in the doorway drew their attention.

Laura hopped off of Steve's lap and looked in embarrassment. "Hi, Aunt Rachel." Steve ducked his head.

"Are you two going to help us move _you_ out or not?" she questioned.

"Yes, Ma'am," they both said, standing and rushing out of the door.

"Don't call me, Ma'am!" Rachel yelled after them.

When the last box was on the truck, Carl hopped in to drive it. As cars began to pull out of the driveway, loaded to their roofs, Laura and Steve waited. Steve watched Laura look nostalgically at her childhood home, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"This was the first home we shared," she whispered.

He kissed her cheek softly. "You know, when my parents moved, and I had to move-in with Eddie, it was really hard for me to say goodbye to the house."

"And to your parents?"

"Meh."

Laura cuddled closer to him. "Poor baby," she cooed.

He hugged her tighter. "Then when I moved in with you all, I didn't feel so bad because I was excited to become a part of your family. Sweetums, it's hard to leave parts of your life behind, but as long as you know that the best years are still to come, it gets a lot easier." She remained silent. "So, do you think our best years are ahead of us?"

"I know they are," she sniffled.

"Then c'mon, Mrs. Urkel. We've got some memories to make," he encouraged, squeezing her shoulder gently as he released her.

She sniffled and glanced back at the house one more time before opening her car door. She got inside, and Steve kissed her cheek before he gently closed it for her. He watched her pull away before he walked over to the Isetta and opened the door. He, too, paused to look at the house. He didn't feel the way Laura did. He loved this house because he loved the people who lived in it. He loved barging in that front door, welcome or unwelcome, to spend time with the people who meant the most to him, with his one, real family. Now, he knew, Laura was his family. Laura was his one and only home. It didn't matter where she was, if he was with her, he was home. He sat in the Isetta and closed the door. Soon, his tiny car hobbled out onto the street.

The apartment wasn't a long drive from the Winslow's house, so they were pulling into the parking garage in no time. Steve and Laura happily lead their family, all carrying a box to the elevator. Unfortunately, they couldn't all fit so Laura went up to the 9th floor with her parents and her grandparents, and Steve followed with Max, Eddie, Rachel, Richie, and 3J. Laura made sure to wait for everyone to arrive before opening the door. Steve grabbed her quickly and carried her inside again.

"Steve," she laughed, "you don't have to do that every time."

He set her down and kissed her softly. "Just try and stop me," he purred.

As they were caught up in each other's eyes again, they almost missed their family's reactions as they began to take in their main room. "Oh, my God!" Max moaned. "Laura, can we please share your husband?"

Laura looked at her and laughed. "Steve Urkel's not lookin' so bad now, is he?" she smirked, playing with the buttons on his shirt as she teased Max.

"No, he is not," Max said, looking at Steve flirtatiously.

Steve blushed and looked away from both women.

Eddie walked up beside her and blew his nose. "Hey," he interjected, his voice hoarse and his nose stuffy. "I can't smell, but I can still hear… kinda."

"Ok, ok," Harriette said excitedly. "Give us a tour, kids!"

Laura and Steve smiled and jumped at the chance. "Ok," Steve announced with a grand gesture, "this is the living room, kitchen, and dining room!"

Carl chuckled, "That's how Eddie tours his apartment, too, but _his_ 'open floor plan' doesn't look anything like this."

"Yo! I'm still right here!" Eddie whined.

Max pouted at him. "Aw, I'd hug you, but I'm not gettin' that cold."

"But, Max," he said, approaching her.

She stepped back and held up a hand. "Nope!"

Steve continued and walked toward the window. He opened the door. "This is our balcony," he gestured, ushering everyone out to enjoy the view. "C'mon, c'mon."

"Oh, Steve, this view is gorgeous," Rachel gasped.

Steve smiled at Laura. "You should see my view from the bedroom," he winked.

Laura nudged him playfully and blushed. "Sweet talker," she scolded.

"You know it, Bubblin' Brown Sugar," he purred.

Laura pulled away from him and walked back inside. She unlocked the bedroom door to the balcony and ushered them all into the master bedroom. "This is our bedroom."

"Whoa, Laura," Eddie gasped, "it's huge. Now, I think _I_ might wanna marry Steve."

"Get in line," Estelle joked, walking past him into the master bath.

"Seriously, Urkel," Eddie said, "you don't find this kind of space in this part of Chicago unless you're making bank."

"Oh, it's not that pricey," Steve dismissed with a wave. "The master's only this big because the second bedroom's so small. We'll definitely need to find a new place before we add to our little family," Steve said, smiling at Laura.

She looked at him over her shoulder as she opened the closet door to show Max and Rachel the walk-in. "Oh, are we planning on getting a puppy?" she asked sarcastically.

He scowled and rolled his eyes as she smirked at him. He led the group into the second bedroom, which would be turned into an office. "See?" he said, as they all crammed themselves inside, barely fitting. "It's practically a closet!"

The family nodded and quickly headed back into the main room. "Still, Steve," Harriette said, "this place is gorgeous. Laura is one very lucky girl."

"Oh, no. This wasn't all me. I couldn't have done it without her," he replied.

"Yes, you could have," Laura insisted, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He placed an arm around her shoulder and squeezed her closer. "Well, maybe I _could_ have, but I _wouldn't_ have. I did this all for you, my little muse. Without you, I'd be living in my parents' basement in Russia."

Laura frowned at him. "Let's not talk about that," she whispered softly, feeling heavily observed by everyone else as Steve brought up one of her least favorite subjects.

"And where would you be without me?" he asked softly. "Rome? Paris? Milan?"

Laura inhaled sharply. Why on Earth was he bringing any of this up now? "Steve, can we talk on the balcony for a minute?" He nodded, and she led him out there. As he closed the door, she turned to him. "What's going on? What's wrong?" she asked abruptly.

"Nothing's wrong, Pet. I was just thinking…" he trailed off.

"Thinking what?" she prompted as he failed to explain himself.

"Well, everyone in there was just complimenting me and praising me and talking about how lucky you are to have me… But I just don't know how to react to that, Laura Lee. I'm the lucky one," he said, his self-degradation oozing from his pores.

She shook her head at him. "Steve Urkel, what are you talking about?"

"Without me, you'd be with… _him_ in some incredible city in a bigger apartment with five-times the closet space!"

"Maybe," Laura chuckled to herself, "but he'd use four/fifths of it."

"I'm serious, Pet."

Laura stepped closer to him. "Where is all this coming from, Baby? We were doing so well. A couple of days ago, you were feeling so confident and excited about us and our new home. Why are we suddenly bringing… _him_ up again?"

"He's been on my mind lately," Steve admitted.

"Why?"

Steve shrugged, but refused to give a straight answer.

Laura sighed. "Ok, look. None of that matters today, Steve. Don't let him bother you today of all days, and don't worry about what everyone else is saying they like or don't like about the apartment or about you. You're getting so caught up in your head that you're missing all the fun. We moved into our first home today. When you look back on this day, what do you want to remember? How self-conscious you were? How much you thought about… _him_? Or do you want to remember the look on my face when we open the first box to unpack?"

Steve nodded. "You're right," he whispered, pulling her into his arms. He hugged her close. "I'm so lucky to have such a brilliant, compassionate wife," he whispered.

She pulled back to look at him. "And I'm so lucky to have such a loving, loyal husband. I don't wanna live in Paris, Steve… or Rome… or Milan. I made my choice, and I'm _sure_ I made the right one," she assured him. She held her wrist up toward his face. "See? I'm finally wearing the ID bracelet. I want the whole world to know that my heart belongs to _Sleeve_ Urkel," she joked.

He chuckled and snorted at the typo. "Do you want a new one?" he offered.

"No!" she said adamantly. "Don't you dare. This is a memory, Steve. I love it… just as it is. It's just like our relationship, Steve. It's imperfect, but it's full of so much love that I'm certain it's unbreakable."

"I wouldn't test that," he said with a shake of his head. "I bought it from Waldo, remember? It could be solid silver or it could be made of gum wrappers. It's a fifty-fifty shot, really."

Laura laughed and pecked him softly. "Well, gum wrappers or not, I love it, Steve, and I love you. I love our new apartment. I love our life." She kissed him again. "So just relax, and enjoy the day, ok? I want nothing but wonderful memories to look back on."

"Ok," he agreed, kissing her again.

Suddenly, the door opened. "Would you two lovebirds quit necking and come back inside already?" Estelle urged. "We have to get a picture of you in your first apartment before I die."

"Grandma!" Laura scolded.

"Hey, I'm not gettin' any younger, and you two clearly aren't getting out of the honeymoon phase anytime soon. If I hadn't come out here, you two could have been glued together for hours," she joked.

Laura smiled and shook her head. She grabbed Steve's hand and led him back inside. Estelle pointed them to the front door and posed them in front of it. Laura turned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her closely. Laura had a sudden flashback to prom. Her grandmother and mother had made her pose for a few pictures with Steve, after she had failed to sneak out of the house before anyone could see her with her dorky date. At the time, she had been so embarrassed, but the pictures had turned out beautifully. She had told herself as the cameras flashed that she'd have to burn those pictures one day, but she loved them. Even before she had fallen for Steve, she had loved looking at those pictures and the ones they had taken later that night. He had made that night incredible, and she was determined to make this day incredible for him, even if he kept running into mental roadblocks.

"Beautiful," Harriette grinned, as she lowered the camera.

"Wait!" Estelle said. "You need one with a kiss!"

Steve looked down at Laura and turned to face her more directly. He leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to hers. He felt her body immediately relax against him, and his did the same. His tongue slipped into her warm mouth as her hands slid up his muscular arms and wrapped around his neck. They both needed this. Pecks were wonderful, but they couldn't compare to the way he felt when their lips were truly intertwined.

After the picture had been taken and a few seconds had passed without them moving to break apart, Eddie cleared his throat uncomfortably. " _Ahem_."

Their eyes shot open, and they pulled apart slowly. "Oh," Laura said softly. She reached up and used her thumb to wipe her lipstick off of Steve. "Well, I guess we have a truck and some cars to unload, huh?" she said, smiling awkwardly at her family.

Steve breathed heavily and stared at Laura, begging his heart to slow. He had forgotten how long it had been since he'd had sex. Suddenly, he remembered it had been too long.

Carl stepped forward, doing his best to ignore the lustful look on his son-in-law's face. "Um, Steve?"

"Yes, Carl?" Steve said, turning to him, slightly nervous.

"Why don't you and I start on the big stuff?" he suggested.

"Ok," he nodded, following him out the door.

They took a few trips to and from the cars and the truck. Steve and Carl started with the bedroom sets, while everyone else just brought in box after box. Eventually, as they were getting down to the last few loads, Max and Laura decided to remain in the apartment to actually begin to unpack. Laura picked up a box and set it on the counter. She borrowed Eddie's pocket knife and was just about to cut into the box when Steve stepped out of the bedroom with Carl and caught sight of her.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"What?" she asked, jumping with the knife still in her hand.

"Laura Lee, this is the first box you're opening in our new home. This is a big moment," he said, approaching her.

She smiled. He had a point. "Ok? So what should I be doing?" she asked.

He stepped up behind her and took her hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her. "It's just like the wedding cake, Mrs. Urkel," he whispered. "We should do it together." He guided her hand to the tape as Harriette whipped out her camera. Together, they pressed into the box and slit the tape. They set the knife down and each put a hand on one flap of the box.

"On three?" Laura asked.

"One," he said.

"Two," she replied.

"Three," they said in unison as they pulled the box opened.

They both leaned forward to look inside. "Hey!" Steve called excitedly. "Kitchen towels!" he said as he held them high for everyone to see.

Laura couldn't help herself from giggling at her goofy, albeit very romantic, husband. She shook her head at him, and he handed her one of the towels.

"Kitchen towels," he repeated to her.

She took the towel from his hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck. "C'mere," she whispered, pulling him down to her with the towel. She kissed him passionately, allowing the brand new towel slip to the ground as he leaned into her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"If that's how you guys are gonna open every box, we'll never finish," Max quipped, ripping into the second box.

Laura and Steve pulled away from each other. They both bent to pick up the towel Laura had dropped, and Steve hit his head hard against hers.

"Ouch!" she whined, standing up again.

"Oooo," he whined, grabbing the towel. "I'm so sorry, my love," he said softly, kissing her head all better.

She shook her head again and returned to the box. "Why don't you and Daddy go get the rest of the furniture?" she suggested as she and Max began to unpack the kitchen.

"Ok," he nodded.

As they were unloading from the truck, the door remained open. Laura and Max were alone in the apartment, unpacking dishes.

"Girl, you didn't spend much on these plates did you?" Max asked, sitting on the counter as she set them up in the cupboard.

"No. Why?" Laura asked, handing her a second stack.

"Well, 'cuz you know Steve'll break 'em in a couple weeks."

Laura chuckled. "Mhmm… And when he breaks dishes, he doesn't just break one at a time. He takes out a whole set in a freak accident."

Max laughed.

"But, Girl, check out the material. It's tempered glass, so it's supposed to be drop-resistant."

"Huh… You really did your research before you became Mrs. Urkel."

"I know that's right," Laura agreed, handing Max the matching bowls.

"Knock, knock," said a low voice in the doorway.

Laura and Max turned. Laura set more bowls on the counter next to Max and walked toward the open door. As she did, a man stepped in. Laura guessed he was probably in his mid to late 20's. She could also tell that he was a caramel-colored God. Laura was taken aback by his chiseled jaw and muscular arms. "Hi," she smiled, her voice lilting flirtatiously.

"Hi," he smiled back.

 _Oh, those dimples_ , Laura thought, raising a hand to her chest.

"I'm Eric. I live in 9H, just across the hall," he extended his hand.

She shook it gently. "Hi, Eric. I'm Laura, and I live in 9G."

"Uh, yeah," he chuckled. "I kinda figured."

Laura blushed.

"So you two ladies need a hand?"

Max hopped off of the counter and walked up next to Laura, who was staring at her new neighbor silently. Max nudged her.

"Oh, um. No, not really. That's really sweet of you, but my whole family's here, so…"

"Ok, cool. Just thought I'd offer."

"That's so... neighborly."

He chuckled again. "Well, I try to be neighborly when two beautiful girls move in across the hall."

Laura blushed again. "Beautiful?" she giggled.

Max glanced at her sideways. "Um… It's actually just one beautiful girl. I'm just a friend," she explained.

"Oh," he nodded, moving closer to Laura, "what's a cute, little girl like you need a place this big all to herself for? You like to have… _company_?"

Laura swallowed hard and finally began to realize this had gotten out of hand.

Suddenly, Steve's voice could be heard down the hall. He and Carl were hauling the couch in. "No, you gotta turn it!"

"No, Steve. It won't fit that way," Carl grumped. They bickered back and forth until it was finally through the door. They walked it back against the window and set it down. They both panted.

"Woo. That sucker's heavy," Steve complained, looking over at Laura and finally noticing their macho guest. He saw how Laura's hand stroked the part of her chest exposed by her V-neck t-shirt and couldn't help but get a little peeved as he recognized the gesture. He walked over to her as Carl collapsed onto the couch. He stepped close to her and wrapped an arm around her possessively. "Hi, Sweetheart," he cooed, kissing her cheek. "Who's your friend?"

Laura looked at Steve uneasily. "Oh, who? Him?" she stalled, pointing to Eric.

"Uh, yeah," Steve said, annoyed by how nervous she was.

"Oh, this is our neighbor from across the hall. He just came by to offer us some help."

Steve extended his hand and tried to be polite. "Howdy, Neighbor!" he said as they shook. "Steve Urkel."

"Eric Chambers."

Steve smiled and returned his arm to Laura's hip, gripping her tightly and pressing her body into his.

"So," Eric said as he began to get the picture, "you two are…?"

"Newlyweds," Steve confirmed.

"Oh," he said, disappointedly. "That's too bad," he smirked, looking Laura up and down, no longer feeling the need to be subtle, considering she had made her interest so clear.

Steve raised his eyebrows and glanced at Laura, who immediately looked away.

Eric looked at Steve and then glanced back at Carl, who was still panting heavily. "Are you guys sure you don't need any help? You must have a lot of furniture to haul up here, and I'm actually a professional weight-lifter."

Laura grinned idiotically. "Wow."

Steve widened his eyes and glared at her. _Seriously?_

"I do some personal training on the side, Laura, if you're interested," Eric continued.

Steve ignored that invitation, but he was damn sure he was never going to let Laura take him up on it. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Eric," Steve said firmly. "I actually trained with NASA, and he's a cop," Steve said, pointing to Carl.

Eric looked at them both again. "Damn, our government needs to hire better trainers."

Steve took a deep breath, ready to tell this creep off, but he was interrupted by Estelle speed-walking into the apartment and setting a box down.

"Ha!" she cheered as Eddie, Harriette, Fletcher, Rachel, and the boys followed in behind her. "I win!"

"It's not a competition, Mother Winslow," Harriette said, panting as she set her heavy box down on the ground. She hated to lose, but that old lady was fast.

"Hey, wait a minute," Eddie said as he set his box down next to his grandmother's. "This is just pillows."

Estelle smirked. "Darn right, and y'all better hurry before I grab the lightest box again," she said as she walked out of the room. The rest followed closely behind her.

"Only a few more trips, guys!" Harriette called to Laura and Steve as they walked back out again.

Laura chuckled at the scene that had unfolded in front of them, and then she looked up at Steve. She smiled up at him softly, apologetically. She finally had her hormones under control again.

"All right, well, I guess I'll see you guys around the building," Eric said, realizing he had been bested… for the time being.

"It was nice to meet you, Aaron," Laura said, feigning extreme absent-mindedness as she looked up at Steve adoringly.

When Eric was safely out of the apartment, and his door across the hall had opened and shut, Steve looked down at Laura. "Faker," he scolded.

"What?"

"You remember his name," he said.

Laura pouted, "Maybe."

"You were flirting with him, Laura," Steve said firmly.

"Was I?" Laura asked, returning to the dishes she and Max were unpacking.

"Laura," Steve pressed.

She frowned. "Ok, fine. I was. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"I do," Max said, next to her. "A smoking hot, professional weightlifter walked into your apartment."

Steve glared at Max. "Smoking hot" seemed like an exaggeration to him.

"Not helping, Max," Laura sang in a sing-songy voice as she looked at Steve's face.

"Not trying to, Laura," Max replied in the same voice.

Laura grabbed Steve's hands and squeezed. "Look, Steve, he was… kinda hot."

"Laura!" Steve shouted.

" _But_ I'm your _wife_. You have nothing to worry about."

Steve grimaced. "I don't like you finding other guys attractive."

"Steve," she grumbled, "c'mon. Don't you find other women attractive? It doesn't mean anything. You want me more. It's just… You can see why someone, other than you, might be interested in dating them, right?"

He frowned. "I guess," he admitted, "but I don't flirt with them!"

"Never?"

"Never," he stated.

"Good boy," she smiled, placing her palms flat on his chest and sliding her arms up to wrap around his neck.

"I don't want you flirting either," he insisted, wrapping his arms around her back.

"I'll try to control myself," she promised, leaning into him closer.

"And you're not going to let that guy train you… personally," he barked.

"Of course not," she agreed nonchalantly.

He pouted. "Well, ok then."

She smiled at him and got on her tiptoes, gently pulling his face down to hers. "Ok then," she whispered before kissing him.

When their lips broke apart, he released her. "I have to go get the rest of the furniture with Carl."

"Thank you, Baby," she smiled at him flirtatiously.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," he warned.

"Ok," she giggled as she watched Steve and Carl head out of the room.

When they were gone, Max looked at her and laughed.

"What?" Laura asked.

"Is that how you two always resolve your fights?"

"That wasn't a fight," Laura insisted as she filled the silverware drawer.

"It wasn't?"

"No," Laura confirmed, "Steve just needs a little reassurance from time to time. He wasn't mad."

Max rolled her eyes, "So the answer to my question…"

"Kinda," Laura admitted. "We talk a lot when we fight about most things, but when he's jealous, which happens a lot, the best thing to do is usually just flirt with him until he's convinced that I'm not jumping ship."

"Hm. I would've been jealous in his shoes, too," Max warned her.

"Yeah, I know. I would have killed him if he talked to another girl like that. I was out of line."

"And he missed most of it!"

Laura grimaced. "I know. Gosh, I am a terrible wife."

Max laughed. "No, you're not. You're just not used to being somebody's wife, yet. Let's face it, you two weren't exclusive for very long before you got married, and you were really never exclusive with Stefan."

"Hey!" Laura whined. "I tried."

"How does that help your case?"

"Oh, I guess it doesn't."

"Mhmm… You are going to need to really work on this fidelity thing," Max scolded.

"I was just flirting," Laura argued, growing defensive.

"Yeah, but with your track record and Steve's insecurities, maybe you shouldn't."

"Maybe you're right," she sighed.

When Carl and Steve got to the elevator, Carl turned to him. "So that kind of thing happens all the time?"

Steve shrugged, "Laura gets hit on a lot. That's the first time I've seen her flirt back."

"Ouch. Yeah, that stings the first time."

"Really?" Steve said, looking him in the eye for the first time in a while.

Carl stared at him in surprised. He actually cared about his interpretation this time? "Oh, well, yeah. It's normal, Steve, for married people to occasionally feel an attraction for somebody else, maybe flirt a little, maybe even have a little crush, but it's never fun for the other person to watch."

"You've seen Harriette flirt with other guys?" he asked.

"Mhmm… The first time, I completely flipped out on her," he chuckled. "She didn't let me sleep in our bed for a month, but I overreacted. You handled it much better than I did."

"What did you do?"

Carl shuffled his feet. "Well, I kinda… hit him."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, that would've felt good."

"It does, but the backache from sleeping on the couch is not worth it. Trust me."

Steve nodded solemnly.

"Plus, the guy I hit was just some librarian she met. You were about to take on a professional weightlifter."

Steve scoffed, "You bought that?"

"Did you look at that guy's arms?" Carl gawked at him.

Steve shrugged, and then glanced sideways at Carl. "Was he really that much better looking than me?"

Carl cringed. "C'mon, Steve. I can't answer that."

"C'mon, Carl. Laura would never tell me the truth. I can take it," he insisted.

"No, I'm not worried about hurting your feelings. Well, I am, but what I really mean is I don't feel comfortable ranking guys on their hotness."

Steve shrugged silently again as the elevator opened. He stepped out of it and headed toward the truck.

Carl mentally kicked himself. It seemed whenever he and Steve got a conversation going, he let it fall apart. How were they ever going to fix this if Steve kept sliding back into the silent treatment?

It wasn't long after that that all the cars and even the truck were empty. As Carl and Steve staggered in with the dining table, some assembly required, Laura pointed them in the right direction. They moved to set down the cardboard box.

"Bend with your knees, Carl," Harriette called over her shoulder as she unwrapped Laura and Steve's picture frames.

Laura hovered over Steve as they got closer and closer to the ground. "Gently, Steve. It's glass," she reminded him. "Gently. Gently. Gently."

"Oh, relax, my careful cutie," Steve said, grunting in an awkward squat as the table got closer and closer to the ground. "Your hubby's got it all under control," he promised, just as the box slipped from his hands. Steve's end dropped half a foot to the floor as he grimaced. "Oopsie," he whined. Carl set his side down and rolled his eyes as Steve stood up to look back at Laura.

She glared at him accusingly.

"Sorry, my little homemaker," he said softly.

"One: Don't ever call me that," she snarled.

"Duly noted," he nodded.

"And two: You best hope that didn't break."

"I'll check right now, Dear," he offered, sitting down to open the box.

"Mhmm…" she nodded firmly as she walked back into the bedroom to continue unpacking her clothes.

As the family continued to work, Laura and Eddie soon found themselves assembling the nightstands. Rachel had been hanging Laura's clothes in the closet, but took a break to grab a glass of water. When Laura noticed she and Eddie were alone, she set down the instructions she was holding and looked at him.

"Ok, the L4 screw is now firmly in place to hold the B2 handle," he nodded. "What's next?" he asked looking up at her. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the look on her face. "You ok, Sis?" he asked.

Suddenly, without a word, as she found herself at a loss for them, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in an awkwardly-done hug as they both sat on the floor. He moved closer to her to accommodate the affection and wrapped one arm around her back. He patted it gently. "You're gonna get sick," he warned her, though she ignored him and held on tightly. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly, as he heard her sniffle.

She shook her head and pulled away from him. She sat back up and wiped her tears. "Absolutely nothing," she promised. "I have never been happier," she insisted.

He looked at her uncomfortably. "Ok, Laura, I'm glad?" he offered.

"Thank you so much, Eddie," she whispered, wiping her tears again. "We needed you so badly, and you were there for us, even though I made things so hard for you before and after I knew about Max."

"Hey," he blushed as he finally caught up to the conversation. "You're my sister. Don't worry about it."

"No, Eddie, please. Just let me thank you and apologize and tell you how much I love you because I don't know what we would have done without you these past couple of weeks."

"Laura, it was only a couple of weeks. I would have slept outside for a couple of weeks if you needed me to," he joked.

"Eddie, if you ever need anything," she promised, not finishing her sentence. She reached out and squeezed his knee.

"I know, Laura," he said. "I was glad to help," he added honestly. "What Dad said to you guys… I just can't even believe it."

"I know," Laura nodded. "I think that's all over now… or it will be if Steve ever comes around again."

"I can't blame him, honestly."

"I know," she nodded. "I don't. I want it to all magically go away, but he can take as much time as he needs as far as I'm concerned."

"I really love you and Steve together," Eddie admitted after a moment, looking away from her.

Laura smiled brightly and looked back at him. "You do?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Honestly, I'm still not sure how you put up with him, but I'm glad you learned to. He's gonna treat you right, Laura."

"I know that," she promised. "He's the most amazing man I have ever met." She paused and looked at Eddie meaningfully. "And that's really saying something because I have a wonderful, big brother."

Eddie blushed and patted her knee. "So, what do I do next?" he asked, picking up the screw driver.

"Steve, Honey," Rachel asked, "what is this?" She held up one of the frames sitting on the unbroken table, waiting to be hung.

Steve set down the hammer he was holding, nearly knocking Carl out with it, and walked over to Rachel to get a closer look. He smiled when he saw what she was holding. "Oh, this is the star I had named after Laura."

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Estelle cooed from her spot on the couch where she was sitting as she read the instructions to Carl and Steve about constructing the coffee table.

"Nah. You know what's sweet?" Steve began. "I gave this to Laura when we were 14, and she's held onto it all this time," he grinned proudly.

Carl's jaw dropped. "Really?"

"Yup," he nodded firmly.

Estelle chuckled. "I always knew that girl had the hots for you."

Steve blushed and got back to work.

When dinner time rolled around, they all stopped for pizza on Steve and Laura. Steve tipped the delivery man and closed the door. He set the pizzas on the table, and everyone gathered around the living room and dining area to eat. With everyone there, a few people had to sit on the floor. Laura was the last to grab a plate, and she walked over to Steve, who was seated in the chair in the living room. She grabbed his plate from him and sat in his lap.

"Oh!" he called in surprise as she made herself comfortable on his lap. He took his plate back as she handed it to him, and he blushed deeply. He leaned closer to whisper to her. "Laura, my little PDA panda, are you sure this is appropriate?"

She smirked and replied, "Our house, our rules."

He half-smiled, but still felt uncomfortable. "Honey Buns, why don't you take my chair, and I'll sit on the floor?"

"Steve, that's not–" Before she knew it, Steve had slipped out from under her and moved to the floor. She pouted at him as he glanced back up to her, but ultimately gave in. What seemed innocent and sweet to her was just a hair too far for Steve. She knew they were both still trying to find their comfort zones, so she smiled down at him and patted his head.

When the pizzas were finished, everyone was officially exhausted. "I am never moving again," Max whined. "Laura, when I die, just cremate me with this couch."

"Well, she'll have to cremate the rest of us with you," Rachel replied, nudging Harriette, "because we sure ain't moving."

"Are you kidding? That couch was expensive," Laura joked. "Thank you guys so much for all of your help today. We couldn't have done this without you," she said sincerely, trying and failing to find the energy to move from the chair. "Steve, Baby?" she began.

"Yes, my ravishing roomie?" he cooed softly, barely able to find the energy to create a new pet name for her.

She smiled at the name. "One of us has to take the pizza boxes down to recycling, Honey."

"Is that your way of asking me to do it?" he clarified.

"Yes, please," she chirped.

He took a deep breath and stood. He looked down at her trying her hardest not to fall asleep in their comfy new chair. "Anything for you, Sweetums," he smiled. He leaned down and kissed her softly. He picked up the pizza boxes from the kitchen counter and headed toward the door. Just before he grabbed the handle, he paused as an idea came to his mind. He glanced back at the family, none of whom were watching him. He threw the boxes into the air and collapsed to the floor, _feigning_ clumsiness for once in his life.

Laura sat up straighter and looked at him. "Steve, are you ok?"

"Yeah, Sweetums," he said, standing again and rubbing his sore behind. "I just took a little tumble."

They collectively rolled their eyes and grumbled as he stated the obvious and completely expected.

"Hey, Eddo?" Steve said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Could you help me carry these down the hall?"

Eddie frowned, "It's just a few cardboard boxes, Steve. Even you should be able to handle it."

"Please?" he asked, pouting slightly.

Laura glanced at him. Steve wasn't often one to ask for help. He would usually rather stumble through something until someone offered to help him or until he had accomplished his task, after many blunders, and that was when he was doing something difficult. Eddie was right. This task was well within his capabilities. Even a pre-NASA, pre-sushi training, still-in-puberty Steve could have handled this one, so Laura couldn't help but wonder why Steve would make himself look far less competent than he really was.

"Fine," Eddie sighed as he stood. He walked over to Steve and picked up the boxes. He handed one to Steve and opened the door.

"Thanks, Eddo," Steve grinned as he followed him out into the hallway and shut the door.

They walked to the end of the hall to the trash chutes in silence. They crushed the boxes and slid them down. Eddie turned to Steve and shrugged in annoyance.

Steve looked back at him bashfully. He watched as he turned away from him. "Wait, Eddie."

Eddie turned back to him.

"I didn't really ask you out here because I needed help with a few pizza boxes," he admitted, glancing down at his shoes over and over.

"You didn't?" Eddie asked in surprise. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty pathetic, even for you."

Steve nodded and stared at his shoes.

"So… what's going on?" Eddie prompted as Steve remained silent.

Steve took a deep breath and forced himself to just get it over with. "Eddie, I can't thank you enough for taking us in."

Eddie relaxed slightly. "Oh, this again. Nah, Man, no worries. Laura and I already talked."

"You did?"

"Yeah, so we're good," Eddie said, patting Steve on the back. He turned and was about to head back to the apartment, but Steve stopped him again.

"Wait, Eddo. I'm not done."

Eddie cringed. Why did everyone think it was necessary to have a heart-to-heart about this? He had only done what any decent brother would have done. He stopped again and turned back to Steve.

"Eddo, when I stormed out and dragged Laura to that seedy motel, I thought I had ruined her life. I was desperate to get away from Carl, but I couldn't have forced her to stay in an awful place like that. When we went out that next morning to find somewhere else, I honestly believed we were just delaying the inevitable. I thought I was going to have to crawl back to Carl on my hands and knees, and I just don't know how I could've done that. I don't know how Laura could've respected me after that. You letting us spend a couple of weeks at your apartment saved our marriage, Eddie," Steve said firmly.

"Steve," Eddie dismissed him with a shake of his head, "that's not true. You and Laura would have survived a few more weeks with my dad."

"I don't know that that's true," Steve said softly.

Eddie took a deep breath and sighed, "Man, you've gotta find some self-confidence. You're gonna drive Laura nuts if you keep talking like she's got one foot and four toes out the door."

Steve looked at him and furrowed his brow. "C'mon, Eddo, don't you think she kinda… does?"

Eddie's eyes widened. "Boy, your parents really messed you up."

Steve shrugged. "I don't think you can blame it all on them. A lot of people have messed me up."

Eddie closed his eyes and covered his face in frustration. He ran his hand down it and stepped closer to Steve. He put both hands on his shoulders and gripped them tightly. "Steve, you have got to start to trust Laura. She loves you."

"I don't know how, Eddie," Steve admitted. "I want to believe her when she tells me not to worry, but I'm worried all the time. I can't lose her now, after all this time. It would destroy me."

Eddie nodded. "I know it would. And Laura knows it would. She's not gonna do that to you."

"But what if… What if she gets sick of me?"

"Steve," Eddie said in exasperation, pulling his hands away, "we're all sick of you!" Steve frowned and reared back on his heels. "But that doesn't mean we don't love you!" Eddie finished.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him. "You love me?"

Eddie cringed. Did he say that? Eddie puffed out his chest and glared at him. "Now, I didn't say all that. I just said… I don't not love you."

Steve smiled mischievously. "Why, Eddie Winslow, you devil… I'm a married man."

Eddie punched his arm. "Shut up, Steve." He began to walk back to the apartment, and Steve followed close at his side.

"So you really think I have nothing to worry about?" Steve asked.

Eddie stopped again and looked at him. "I think if you really love Laura, you've got to learn to trust her because honestly, it's pretty crummy if you don't."

Steve nodded. He had a point. They began to walk again and finally reached the door. "Thank you for everything, Eddo," Steve said, opening his arms for a hug.

Eddie looked around the hallway, making sure no one was there to see, and he pulled his brother-in-law into his arms. "You're welcome, Bro," he said, patting Steve's back. Eddie let go and went for the doorknob.

"And I love you, too," Steve said, just as the door opened.

Laura happened to be on the other side with Max, handing her a Coke. She watched Steve and Eddie walk in and then smiled at them.

Eddie prayed nobody had heard that.

"Isn't that sweet?" Laura cooed obnoxiously, looking at Max.

"Awww," she replied, grinning at Eddie.

Eddie rolled his eyes and grumbled his way back to the seating area.

Steve blushed and walked up to Laura. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "I love you," he whispered.

Laura looked back at him as Max headed back to the living room. "I love you, too," she whispered. She stared contemplatively at the look in his eye. "You ok?"

He nodded. "Yes, my pet. I'm just… I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

She puckered her lips and kissed him again. "I'm the lucky one," she reminded him.

"Maybe we both got lucky?" he offered.

That surprised her. Usually, he'd have been willing to fight her until the end of the world on something like that. "Maybe we did," she nodded. She leaned up close to his ear. "But I know for a fact _you_ are going to get very, very lucky tonight," she whispered.

He rolled his tongue at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "As long as it's your pot of gold I get to dip into at the end of the rainbow," he teased.

Laura's jaw dropped, and she giggled. "Mmmm… You naughty boy," she scolded, kissing him again.

He squeezed her tightly, never wanting to let go, but he finally allowed her to pull away from him, and he watched her walk away, captivated by the sway of her hips. He followed her back, eventually, and sat on the arm of her chair.

Still exhausted from all the work they had put in before dinner, the family sat comfortably for a couple of hours, just chatting.

"So, Steve," Estelle asked late in the evening, "when are you going to tell us about the fancy new job that bankrolled all this?" She gestured to the apartment.

Laura looked up at Steve, now seated on the arm of her chair, sympathetically and grabbed his knee. She hated that he was having so much trouble. He had told her a little of what was going on, but she was certain he was downplaying it so she wouldn't worry too much.

Steve glanced down at Laura as she touched his knee. His eyes overflowed with his thanks. He may have been doing this all for her, but whether she believed it or not, he didn't think he'd be anywhere near as successful without her love and support. "Well," he said eventually, "I'm working in a biochemical engineering lab at For-Ward Tech. It's a really big company owned by two guys, Wesley Forman and Andrew Ward. Get it? For-Ward?"

They all nodded in response, but it wasn't that great of a pun.

"So, um… Anyway, what I do all day is the kind of stuff I do on my own time."

"They're paying you to eat cheese and listen to polka music?" 3J asked.

Steve glared at him. "No, I'm experimenting and inventing all day, like I do in my own lab at school and like I used to do in my parents' basement. The only difference is that now, they tell me what I have to figure out how to make."

"Well, that's not that bad, is it?" Harriette asked. "What project do they have you on right now?"

"Well, that's the thing," Steve frowned. "My boss kind of hates me because I've been getting a lot of special attention from one of the owners, so he gave me the worst project they had on the docket."

"Which is what?" Rachel asked.

"I'm trying to invent something that will prevent dogs from marking their territory because none of the sprays out now really seem to work that well, apparently."

"So you spend all day trying to control where dogs pee?" Richie asked.

"Yup."

The room burst into a fit of giggles. Even Estelle couldn't help but laugh at the poor boy. Laura was the only one who resisted the urge, rubbing his knee gently. When Estelle got herself under control, she cleared her throat. "Well, you know what, Steve? A lot of people would be very happy if you were successful in that venture," she nodded firmly.

"Thanks," Steve said flatly.

Laura squeezed his knee. "It's just hard for Steve because he's so used to experimenting on things that he's passionate about. He doesn't mind if it's gross as long as he's inspired."

Steve nodded and rested his face in his hands.

"Oh, Steve, you just gotta prove yourself first. They'll let you have a little more freedom once you show them what that big brain of yours can do," Harriette encouraged.

"Not if Harry is still above me," Steve argued.

"You'll figure it out, Steve," Laura promised. "You always do."

He smiled at her softly and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"And what about you, Laura?" Carl asked. "How are things going down at Ferguson's?"

Laura looked at him sourly. He just had to bring that up, didn't he? "Not great. My whole staff hates me. Believe it or not, Myra's being nicer to me than anyone else. Some sick part of me actually looks forward to seeing her. She worked Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so I had to get through Thursday and Friday without her there, and it was awful. At least when she's there, there's someone who vaguely follows my directions."

"Laura," Harriette frowned, "you've gotta start laying down the law. If they're being insubordinate, you need to write them up. That's how it works. Otherwise, your department's bottom-line will suffer."

"I know, Mom, but they're already treating me so poorly. How are they going to treat me if I suddenly become a jerk?"

"Oh, they'll treat you like dirt, but they already are. You might as well get a functioning department out of the deal."

"I guess," she shrugged, slouching down into the chair.

"Hey, guys, c'mon," Rachel said. "This is a fun day, remember? Being a grown-up is hard, kids, but you have to take time to savor the good days. You moved into your first apartment today. Be proud of that."

Laura and Steve relaxed and looked at each other. She was right. They had each other. They had their own home. They could get through anything. Steve slid off of the arm and sat on the chair, pulling her onto his lap. She leaned toward him and rubbed her nose against his.

Rachel snickered and everyone turned to look at her. "Do you guys remember that project Laura had to do in her first year of high school when she and Steve had to pretend to be married?"

Laura looked down at Steve. "Of course, I do," she grinned. "That's when he bought me my engagement ring." She waved her left hand at them.

"What?" Rachel asked. "He bought your engagement ring when you were 14?"

Laura nodded, looking at him dreamily.

"Oh, yeah," Harriette chuckled. "I forgot about that. She turned it down, and he sold it to Carl who gave it to me. He came crying to me two days later to buy it back after Laura gave him an A on that marriage project. He was sure she had fallen for him."

"And she took me to the cleaner's, too! I paid double what Carl paid me, and I had already ripped Carl off!" Steve complained.

Laura laughed. "You didn't have to give me _this_ ring, Steve. You could've waited a few years and bought me a new one."

"I could've," he agreed, "but I picked this ring out special for you, my pet. I wanted you to have it."

"Recreating that night was a very sweet way to propose," Laura said softly.

"It doesn't beat Disney World," Steve complained, pursing his lips and looking away from her.

She shook her head at him. "Yes, it does, Steve," she whispered, grabbing his chin to lift his face to hers. "It absolutely beats Disney World. That's why I'm wearing your ring and not his." She stroked his cheek softly as she stared at him sincerely. She wasn't sure what was going on with him, but she refused to let him think like that.

As the family saw the important moment unfolding in front of them, they felt a little out of place. Estelle stood suddenly. "Well, I think these two need to be alone for a little while. C'mon, gang." She began to walk toward the door.

Laura looked back at her and stood. "Oh, no, Grandma, you guys don't have to go yet."

"Yes, we do, Sugar," she said, grabbing Laura's hands and squeezing them tight. "We'll all come back tomorrow morning to help you finish unpacking, but you two need some time to enjoy this place." She leaned closer to her. "And you need to talk to your husband," she whispered.

Laura smiled gratefully and nodded. "Ok, well, thank you for all of your help," she said, hugging her tightly.

"You're welcome, Sugar," she said.

Steve stood to begin his goodbyes as well. He kissed Estelle goodbye and held the door for her and Fletcher.

Harriette was the last to move because she waited until almost everyone had cleared out. She hugged Laura tightly and refused to let go. Only she and Carl remained in the apartment. Steve walked over to the hugging women and stood beside them. Carl approached him, as Laura and Harriette were still tightly embracing. "Steve," Carl said.

"Yeah, Carl?" he said, turning to him uninterestedly.

"I'm proud of you, Son," he said seriously. "You've done some really amazing things with your life over the past year and… my daughter is lucky to have you."

Harriette and Laura released their hug to watch what was unfolding beside them. Was this it? Was this the end of the fight?

Steve hesitated before responding. He wanted nothing more than to believe Carl, but after everything that had happened between them, he just couldn't. "Thank you, Carl," Steve said flatly.

Laura cringed at the way he said it and glanced disappointedly at her mother in front of her.

Carl nodded, reading his tone clearly. He patted his shoulder. "Ok, then. Harriette?"

"Yes, Carl?"

"Are you ready to go?"

Harriette frowned at Laura. "No," she said, staring into her eyes.

"Mom," Laura said softly, squeezing her hands, "c'mon. I moved out weeks ago."

"No, you didn't. You stormed out weeks ago. This is real," Harriette replied.

Laura nodded, her eyes welling with tears. "We will be over all the time."

Harriette glanced at both men at her side. "Will you really?" she asked.

Steve cocked his head at Harriette. "Oh, Harriette… Mom, I promise we'll be over all the time," he confirmed. "I would never…" he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say.

Harriette let go of Laura and turned to Steve. She hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. She held his hands and stared at him seriously. "You two are going to come over for a family dinner every Sunday. You understand me?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. We'll be there," he promised.

Harriette let go of Steve and turned to look at Laura and Carl who were hugging tightly.

Carl whispered softly to Laura. "I'm trying, Sweetheart. I really, really am."

"I know, Daddy," Laura nodded as she let go of him.

Carl and Harriette each took a deep breath and headed slowly toward the door. Steve put an arm around Laura's waist, and they walked behind them. Steve opened the door and held it for his guests. Harriette kissed them both on the cheek one last time before she rushed out of the apartment, trying to hold back her tears. Carl kissed Laura's cheek and then turned to Steve. He hesitated and then outstretched a hand, thinking that was the most he'd be able to get out of Steve for the time being.

Steve stared at it for a while before finally grabbing it. He gave him a quick, firm shake and watched as Carl stepped out of the door. Steve slowly closed the door and locked it. He put the deadbolt in place. He turned back to Laura. He watched with concern as she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "What's wrong, Turtledove?" he asked

Laura forced a smile and shook her head. "Nothing," she insisted. "It's just been an emotional day."

Steve nodded, but he didn't quite believe her. "Why don't we sit down and talk for a bit?" he offered.

"I think we should," she agreed. She walked over to their new couch and sat.

Steve sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He rubbed her shoulder gently. He looked at her. "Laura, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," she nodded, looking up at him.

"Are you upset with me because I'm still mad at Carl?"

Laura shook her head. "No, Baby, that's not it. I'm not mad at you. I just hate how things are between you two now."

"I do, too, Laura," Steve assured her. "I don't wanna feel this way, Pet."

"I know," she said quickly. "I know you don't. I don't blame you, Steve. I'm just sad about the situation in general."

"I hate that you're sad," he said softly.

Laura took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sad about this one little thing in my life," she clarified. "I'm not sad. I'm very, very happy," she assured him.

He looked down at the floor and avoided her eyes.

"There's something else we need to talk about, too, Steve."

"What's that?"

"Why are you spending so much time thinking about Stefan?" she asked.

"I'm not," he said emphatically.

Laura stared at him.

"It's not that much time," he said eventually.

"Steve, you and I had pretty much stopped talking about him. What changed?"

"Why does it bother you so much that I'm talking about him now?" he pressed. "Are you still in love with him?"

Laura raised her eyebrows. "Good Lord," she sighed, rolling her eyes and leaning back into the couch.

Steve's brow furrowed. "That wasn't an answer."

"No, Steve," Laura said sassily. "It was not an answer. I don't see why I should dignify a question that ridiculous with a response."

"It's not ridiculous, Laura," Steve argued defensively.

"It is, Baby," she said seriously. "It's ridiculous, and it's hurtful."

"Laura, it's not like it's impossible to still be harboring feelings for an ex and marry someone else. It's not a ridiculous question."

"Steve, I told you on our honeymoon that I was _not_ still in love with him."

"But you miss him?"

"Yes, Steve, I told you that," Laura whined. "Just like you miss Myra."

'Well, maybe I would if I didn't keep running into her," he shrugged. "But I never loved Myra, Laura. It's different."

Laura pulled away from his arm so she could look at him more directly. "Steve, do you remember what Stefan said to me just before he turned back into you the third time?"

"Well, no, Puddin' Pop. That's very specific, and I don't have many memories of being Stefan anymore. After a transformation, the memories begin to fade, and I haven't been him in a long, long time. Just like he hasn't been me in a long, long time. Neither one of us can really remember what it was like anymore."

Laura nodded. "Ok, well, this was the time after you had improved Stefan _and_ made it permanent, with weekly maintenance. You changed into him, and we spent a couple of weeks together, but then my dad got transformed into… Carl Urkel, I guess, and he said something to Stefan that made him decide to change back into you. Stefan told me that true love is unconditional."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I didn't truly love him because I only loved him for shallow reasons, the conditions that made Steve Urkel… _palatable_ to me… But that's not how I feel anymore, Steve. My love for _you_ is unconditional. My love for you is… true. I have never, _ever_ felt this way about anyone else before, Steve." Laura took a deep breath and finally said it firmly for the first time in her life, "You are my soul mate, Steve Urkel." She believed it, too.

"Wow. You really… believe, now?" he asked softly in disbelief.

"Yes," she nodded, "because of you."

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "God, Laura, then why can't your dad see it?" he asked, fighting back his tears.

Laura's eyes widened. That's not where she had expected this conversation to go. "What, Honey? What are you talking about?" she asked compassionately. She watched him lean forward and rest his face in his hands. She rubbed his back in slow circles as she felt him begin to cry. "Baby, shhhh… What's going on?"

He sniffled loudly and sat up. He pulled off his glasses and wiped his tears away angrily. "God, I'm so pathetic," he grumbled.

"No, you're not, Steve," she said quickly. "Not at all."

"Then why am I crying about something so stupid?" he grumbled, wiping his eyes again.

"It's not stupid. You're having a huge fight with one of the most important people in your life. That's a perfectly good reason to cry."

"What a _man_ you married, huh?" he sniffled again.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I married an incredible man, a man who loves and feels more deeply than anyone I've ever met, who's not afraid to be sensitive, who talks about his feelings. I married the strongest, bravest man I know."

Steve looked at her. He wanted to argue with her, but he could see it was pointless. She was sure of her statement.

"What's going on, Steve?" Laura asked eventually.

Steve took a deep breath and finally let out what had been eating him up inside. "Laura, I believe that you're really done with Stefan. I believe that you love me. I don't know that I'm quite ready to believe you will always love me, but I believe in where we are now, but Sweetheart, your opinion isn't the only one that matters. Your whole family was there for the double proposal. They all had opinions. It's become pretty clear to me recently that your father didn't get his way. I can't imagine anyone in your family was rooting for me over Stefan, except maybe Estelle. When they were all being so… nice to me today, I felt weird. I felt like they were lying to me, humoring us. They wanted you to choose him, Laura. How can I just ignore that?"

Laura was shocked. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't argue much with it. Most of her family had assumed she would choose Stefan. She couldn't say for sure who they were really rooting for. She knew they loved Stefan, and she knew that they believed he was a perfect match for her, but she also knew how much each of them cared about Steve. None of them would have wanted him to get hurt. "Steve, to be completely honest with you, I don't know if you're right or not. It's possible that they were rooting for him. I honestly don't know, but what I do know it that they all love you and they all care about you. They're glad you're a part of the family now."

"Maybe, but they would have been glad if he were in the family, too," Steve said.

"Maybe," she admitted, "but, Honey, you can't torture yourself like this. I chose you, and that's final. They don't get a say in who I spend my life with. I chose you. Every single day, I wake up in your arms, and never once have I thought I'd be happier with him. Every day, I wake up, and I thank God for you. You're my world, Steve. I don't see anyone but you."

Steve was deeply touched. He wasn't over his other concerns, but none of them mattered in that moment. He stood up, and he held out his hand to her. "Let's go to bed," he whispered.

"Are you ready?" Laura called through the closet door.

"Just a minute, Pet," Steve yelled as he lit the last candle. He ran to the light switch and dimmed the lights, but made sure they were still bright enough to see her body clearly. He ran to the drapes and pulled them closed. He paused at the dresser and popped in a soft R&B CD. Finally, he took off his clothes and tossed them on the ground. Buck naked, he climbed into their new bed for the first time and slipped under the covers. He wiggled around childishly, enjoying the feel of their new sheets on his bare skin and the comfy mattress supporting his playful bounces. "Ok, my love. Come on out," he called.

Laura turned off the light in the closet and slowly opened the door. She stepped just inside their bedroom and posed for him in her tiny, light blue nightie. The silk clung to all of her curves. Her breasts nearly poured out of the low neckline, and her already erect nipples poked through.

"Whoa, Mama," he purred under his breath.

She smiled at him. "Do you like it, Steve?" she cooed, running her hands over her body.

He panted like a dog and howled. "Awoooooo!"

Laura giggled, having not expected that reaction, and she began to make her way over to him. This was a difficult task through all the boxes, but she attempted to remain graceful. She finally made it to her side of the bed and slipped under the covers with him. She moved close to him and snuggled against his chest as he wrapped an arm around her. "I need this so badly," she whispered.

"Me, too," he whispered back.

"Except for moving in here, it's been such an awful few days."

"You don't have to work, Sweetums," he reminded her.

"I know," she said, not wanting to debate the issue with him, but acknowledging that he had a decent point.

"I don't want you to be stressed," he pouted.

"Well, I don't want you to be stressed either, Steve, but that's just unrealistic. All we can do is make each other feel better when we can," she said, kissing him softly.

He smiled. "You're right." He pushed the comforter off of them and patted his lap. "Come to Daddy, Pet," he purred.

She giggled and hopped onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him as his hands gripped her hips. She began to grind her panty-clad womanhood against his bare member. She moaned softly, "Mmmm…"

He broke the kiss and grinned at her. "Oh, now, you can do better than that, Kitten. We're surrounded by brick, and all of your relatives are miles away," he teased. He paused and added sincerely, "I want to hear you tonight."

She bit her lip. "Are you sure? What if I say something bad?" she pouted.

"Then I'll just have to punish you," he purred, smacking her butt.

"Oh!" she yelled.

"That's better," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her.

She grabbed his chin and stopped him. "Uh-uh. You have to be loud for me, too, Baby."

Steve pursed his lips. "C'mon, Sweetums. I don't think my voice is really going to be a turn-on for you. Yours on the other hand…"

"Steve," Laura frowned, "you think I don't love hearing you moan my name?"

"Well, my voice is just so…"

"Nasally and high-pitched?" Laura offered.

"Yeah. Thanks," Steve grumbled.

Laura giggled. "But it's _your_ voice, Steve. It might not be the kind of voice that I used to fantasize about whispering in my ear, but I would never change it. It's your voice, Steve, so it is definitely a turn-on."

"Really?" he asked shyly.

"Yes," she nodded. "I promise."

He smiled. He leaned close to her ear and whispered. "Take your nightie off for me, my love. I want to see that bodacious bod of yours."

"Mmmmm," she purred. "Whatever you say, Sexy." She climbed off of his lap and stood to the side of the bed. She allowed her hands to slowly travel up her body, hesitating on and massaging her full breasts, while she stared at him intensely. She slowly slipped the straps from her shoulders and allowed the nightie to drop to the floor. She let him gawk at her for a moment before she slipped her thumbs in her panties and dropped them to the floor. She stepped out of them, completely nude, and climbed back into bed and back on his lap. She waited for him to speak, but he just stared as his arms came up around her bare back to hold her close. "Well, aren't you going to say anything?" she asked.

Pulled out of his trance, he smiled up at her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Pet. Your body just leaves me speechless."

"Oh, Steve," she moaned breathily, leaning in to kiss him.

He leaned back. "Uh-uh, Sweetness. I'm not done lookin', Good-lookin'."

She pouted at him, "But, Baby, I need you so bad."

"I know, Pet. I need you, too, but you've gotta be patient for me. I haven't seen you au naturel in days."

"Ok," she smiled. "Take your time."

He pushed her off of his lap and laid her down on the bed. He pulled the covers down so she was completely exposed to him. He propped himself up on elbow and trailed his eyes up and down her body.

Laura closed her eyes and tried to relax. He loved her. He loved how she looked. There was nothing to be nervous about.

 _Yeahhh… So good. My, my, my, my. You look so sweet. Listen._

Laura's eyes shot open. She recognized that sax. She recognized that voice.

 _Put on your red dress and slip on those high heels and some of that sweet perfume. It sure smells good on you._

Laura glanced back at Steve. She couldn't let this opportunity to thank him slip away. Johnny Gill coming on tonight of all nights seemed like a sign to her.

 _Slide on your lipstick and let all your hair down cuz, Baby, when you get through, I'm gonna show you. Tonight will be a special night, no matter where we go and…_

 _"I'm so proud to be with you. I just wanna let you know. You got me sayin',' My, my, my, my, my, my, my… You sure look good tonight, and you're so damn fine…"_ Steve sang softly as his hand stroked the smooth skin on her flat stomach.

She grabbed his hand and turned on her side to face him. "Steve?"

" _I wanna say, 'My, my, my, my, my, my, my, you sure look good tonight after all this time.' Slip on your nightgown. Step in our bedroom, but first I wanna take some time. I just wanna look at you. Girl, you are so fine, I can't believe my eyes and all that I wanna do. I wanna make love to you_."

"Steve, Honey," she pressed.

" _Tonight will be a special night. A million more to come, and I'm so proud to be with you, so proud to share your loooooove_!" he screeched in his off-key nasal.

"STEVE!" she shouted.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Shut up for a second, Baby."

Steve blushed, "I know I'm not much of a singer, Sweetheart, but you love this song, and I–"

"It's not that, Steve! God, please, don't think it's that. You can't sing, Baby, but I love when you serenade me. Honestly."

"Why?"

"Because you mean every word," she answered, running a finger down his nose.

He smiled. "So, why did you want me to stop?" he asked eventually.

"Because when we were fifteen you gave away a 50,000 dollar baseball card so that I could meet a hot celebrity."

"50,000? At least," he shrugged.

"And you didn't even get a kiss," she pouted.

"Well, you tried! It wasn't your fault I fainted."

"I should have kissed you the second you woke up," she argued.

Steve smiled softly and reached for her hand. He laced their fingers together. "You've kissed me plenty since, Sugar Lips. Don't worry about it."

"Steve, I wanna make it up to you somehow," she insisted.

"You married me, Laura! We're even-Steven. I promise."

"No, I wanna do more," she said. She moved closer to him. "Obviously, one kiss wouldn't mean quite as much to you now," she began.

"Every kiss from you means the world to me," he promised.

She shook her head. "Ok, fine, but tonight, to thank you for giving ungrateful-me such an incredible night, I wanna give you an incredible night. I will do whatever you want me to."

"I just wanna make love," he answered.

"I know, Steve, but however you want it. I'm yours. I am completely yours tonight." She placed a hand on his cheek. "Tonight, I'm gonna be your sex-slave," she whispered.

Steve's jaw dropped. "Oh, well… I-I-I d-don't think that's n-n-necessary, Pet."

"Any position you want, as many times as you want, wherever you want, wearing whatever you want, saying whatever you want. I'll act out any fantasy. I'll do anything, Steve," she whispered.

He swallowed. "Laura, I don't want you to be my… slave," he answered eventually. "I want you to be my partner."

"I _am_ your partner, Steve," she promised. "I'm just trying to do something special for you tonight."

"But, Laura," he argued.

"Look, if you don't want it to be anything crazy, it doesn't have to be. It can be whatever you want, Steve. Just tell me what to do… Master," she purred.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Master?"

"I'll call you whatever you want me to call you, Sir," she smiled seductively.

"I want you to call me Turbo-nerd," he said eventually.

"Huh?" she asked, pulling back slightly as he caught her off-guard.

"Call me Jerkel or Mayor McDweeb. Call me a nerd, a dweeb, a geek, a freak. Tell me to drop dead. Tell me you'll never be interested in me. Tell me you'd rather the human race end than have to continue it with me."

"Um… Why?" she asked, trying to process what he was saying.

"Because you wanna make up for that night. Well, that night, there was no way I could've gotten you into bed, but I have this fantasy… or I used to."

She looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he didn't. "What fantasy?"

"When we were younger, before I ever felt comfortable picturing you… well, like this… I used to fantasize about you insulting me like you always used to. Then I'd grab you and pull you into my body. You'd resist for a second, but you'd be so shocked by the intense look in my eyes that you wouldn't stop me from planting a big wet one right on your lips. That kiss would change your mind about me. By the end of it, you'd be head over heels in love with me."

She smiled at him softly. "That's pretty much how we got here," she said, grabbing his hand.

He smiled, thinking back to the kisses they had shared at the bachelor auction, when Laura had been drunk, and when he'd broken up with Myra.

"You are a damn good kisser," she purred.

He blushed. "I'm only getting better with practice, Cuddle Lips," he teased shyly.

Laura smirked. "Ok," she said, climbing out of bed.

Steve followed her with his eyes. "Where are you going, Pet?"

"Hold on," she called as she walked back into the closet.

Steve waited for several minutes, but then he began to worry. What was taking so long? And what was she doing? "Sweetums?" he called from bed.

Suddenly, she opened the door quickly. "God, Urkel, can't you just leave me alone? I told you I don't want to go out with you," she barked.

Steve's jaw dropped. "You little minx," he whispered when he caught sight of her in her old cheerleading uniform.

She smiled and winked at him, tossing him an old plaid shirt, a pair of tight jeans and his favorite old suspenders.

He stood excitedly and began to dress. He had forgotten how tight his jeans used to be, and Laura cringed as she watched him get caught in his zipper. "Yah!" he yelped.

"Oh, Baby," she whined, running up to him. "Are you ok?"

He adjusted his pants and winced. He gently rubbed his groin. "Yeah, Sweetheart, I think so."

"Oh, Honey, maybe this was a bad idea. Why don't you get out of those clothes and get back in bed?"

"No!" he shouted. "No, Laura Lee, please. This was a great idea. I love this idea. Please, let's… fantasize a little, Pet."

She nodded, and her face relaxed. "Ok, fine, but you need to be more careful," she whispered. "Don't break it before I get to play with it," she teased. "It's been days."

"Oh, gosh," he blushed. "I'll be careful," he promised.

She squeezed his shoulder with a smile and walked out of the bedroom.

He watched her walk away, captivated by the sway of her hips in that short, little skirt, but then he grew confused. Where was she going? He walked out into the living room to find her again. When he entered the room, he found her sitting on the couch, her legs tucked to her side, flipping through a magazine. "What are you doing, Sweetums?" he asked in confusion.

She glared up at him. "Urkel, why can't you knock? Has no one taught you how? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of super nerd? You'd think you could figure it out."

He smiled at her shyly as he realized she had slipped back into character. He watched her try her best not to smile back. Still, he saw the corners of her bright, red lips turning. "Well, I can't knock," he said dryly, sitting beside her.

"Why not?" she asked, happily taking the bait.

"Because if I did, you'd know I was coming and run in the other direction," he frowned.

"Well, at least you've figured that much out," she quipped closing the magazine and tossing it on the table. "Ok, Steve, what do I have to do to get you outta here?"

"Marry me," he answered immediately, with his dreamy eyes immediately finding hers. He cocked his head and grabbed her hand.

She covered her mouth as she failed to suppress a laugh.

Steve smiled and bit his lip. "Laura Lee Urkel, you're not supposed to laugh. You're supposed to say something cruel and sarcastic back," he scolded her.

"I'm sorry," she grinned. "I just can't believe how easily you can just fall back into this. You're so cute!" She couldn't help but grin at him giddily.

"Thank you, Pet, but we're doing something here," he encouraged her.

She nodded. She cleared her throat and rid herself of her smile. "Ok," she said seriously. "Say it again. I'm ready."

"Marry me," he said with the same look and the same gestures.

Laura swallowed a laugh and spat back, "Drop dead, Nerd Boy."

Steve's eyes widened. That was like time travel! Hearing that come out of her mouth while she wore such a straight face was frightening.

She withered when he looked at her with shocked eyes. She cocked her head at him and furrowed her brow compassionately. "Oh, no, I–"

Steve exhaled as he saw her true face again. "Oh, thank God," he breathed. "That was terrifying." She went to say something, but he cut her off before she got the chance. "Keep going, Pet. Please. I can take it. I know it's a game."

"Steve, are you sure?" she asked softly. "I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"Are we gonna end up in bed?" he whispered.

"Whenever you're ready," she promised, nodding adamantly.

"Then my feelings aren't gonna get hurt. Play along, Laura Lee," he whispered. He winked at her and then frowned. "Well, if you won't marry me, can we at least get engaged?"

"No," she said flatly.

"Move in together?"

"No."

"Go steady?"

"No."

"Go on a date?"

"No."

"Make out?"

"No."

"Kiss?"

"No."

"Cuddle?"

"No."

"Hug?"

"No."

"Well, darn it, Woman! What can we do?" he cried in exasperation.

"I'm letting you breathe next to me, aren't I?" she asked, turning to glare at him.

He looked at her seriously. "Laura Lee Winslow, I've been chasing you relentlessly for almost a decade, and you won't even give me a chance!" he said, standing.

"I know. You think you'd get the hint," she grumped.

He glared at her for a long moment, and then he grabbed her hand and yanked her up.

"Steve!" she yelled as he pulled her up into his arms. "What are you–"

Suddenly, he pressed his lips firmly against hers, wrapping his arms tightly around her back and holding her lithe body to his. "Mmmmm…" he purred as his lips touched hers for what felt like the first time.

She pushed firmly back against his chest, but not too firmly, because the real Laura certainly didn't want him to let go. Still, she knew she was supposed to play the game, so she resisted the urge to slip her tongue into his mouth. Soon, she felt his trail out and tickle her lips. She parted her lips to allow their tongues to meet, slowly giving him more and more of what he wanted as the fantasy progressed. She gradually relaxed the hands that resisted him and trailed them up around his neck, giving in completely.

He smiled and broke the kiss as he felt her relax against him. "Whoa, Mama," he purred softly as he pulled his lips away from her.

"Wow," she whispered. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" she asked.

"I've been dreaming of this moment for a long time, my pet, but I didn't take any lessons," he teased.

"No," she shook her head, her face growing serious. She pulled herself out of his arms, as much as they both regretted it. "No, I mean, you must have kissed somebody other than me, because we kissed when we were Romeo and Juliet, and I've kissed you on the cheek a few times, but who taught you to do that?" she pressed.

"Laura, you're the only woman I've ever kissed," he promised, as they both concluded this was a pre-Myra fantasy.

She stared at him, feigning shock and disbelief that he could kiss that well.

"What you felt, my little Bunsen burner, was chemistry," he said resolutely, stepping closer to her. He reached out to her, but she stepped further away. He continued to approach her. "It was electricity, Laura Lee, a spark. It was destiny telling you to just give in already."

"No, Steve!" she shouted. "I'm not interested, Urkel. GO HOME!" she ordered, pointing toward the door.

He pursed his lips. "All right," he agreed with a nod. He turned and slowly began to walk toward the front door.

Laura's eyebrow furrowed. He didn't think she was really kicking him out did he? She thought for a moment. _Oh!_ She was supposed to stop him. "Wait," she said softly, barely loud enough for him to hear.

He smiled cockily and turned back to her. "What was that, Pet? I couldn't hear you."

She pursed her lips and tapped her foot. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her feet. "Wait," she said a little louder. "Please, don't go."

He walked back over to her, and he placed his hands confidently on her hips. He looked down at her and waited for her to meet his eyes.

She slowly, shyly looked up at him, then down again, then back up. She glanced up and down several times before she finally stared into his eyes and exhaled in relief.

"You love me, don't you?" he whispered.

"No," she said firmly. He stared her down. "Yes," she breathed. "Oh, I don't know," she admitted, looking away again.

He grabbed her hand and began to pull her back to their bedroom. He hit the light switch to turn off the lights in hall and the living area, and he closed their door as they walked in.

"Where are we going, Steve?" she asked.

"To bed," he answered simply.

"Oh, Steve," she said, feigning nervousness, "I'm not sure we should do that. I'm so confused. I don't wanna lead you on."

"You're not leading me on," he insisted, pushing her down on the bed and climbing on top of her.

"Oh!"

He pinned her arms above her head. "You're not teasing me this time, my pet," he whispered. "You really want me," he said assertively. He leaned close to her lips and brushed his against hers in the softest kiss. "Don't you?"

"Yes," she whispered as softly as she could.

He kissed her passionately and began to run his hands all over her body, in both innocent and naughty places. He stroked her bare leg. He squeezed her breast. He tucked her hair behind her ear. He slipped his hand up her skirt and grabbed her bare cheek. He lined his groin up with hers and began to rub himself against her, grinding as firmly as he could. He could barely feel anything with his thick jeans between them.

She could certainly feel it, though. She grinded her hips back on him, completely over their little game, wanting nothing more than to get him inside her. She tugged at his suspenders and slipped them off his shoulders. She began to unbutton his old flannel shirt, moaning loudly. "Mmmm…"

He moved to kiss her neck as she moaned for him, writhed for him, and undressed him. He sucked hard on her earlobe.

"Oh, Steeeeve…" she purred. She undid the last button on his shirt and threw it to the ground. She lowered her hands to the hem of her sweater and tried to pull it up, but he grabbed her wrists and stopped her.

"Don't take that off, Laura," he ordered. He moved his hands up to her breasts and began to massage them over her sweater. "You always looked so sexy in this tight, little sweater," he purred, letting the fantasy drop for a moment.

"Do you want to make love to me in this uniform?" she asked as he groped her.

"Yes," he moaned. "Yes, please, let me. Please."

She nodded, "Of course, Baby. I'm your sex toy tonight, remember?"

He stood and pulled away from her. He tore off his tight jeans and dropped his boxers to the ground.

She sat up to look at him. She turned around and crawled up the bed to lie on her pillow. She shouted as he jumped to land on top of her. "OH!" she cried.

He snickered at her and began to kiss her neck again and again. "Mmmm…" he moaned. "Mm. Mm. Mm," he moaned into each kiss.

"Oh, Steve," she purred. "Oh, Steve Urkel, kiss me."

He happily followed her direction for several minutes, but then he pulled away to look at her. He smiled at her mischievously as he propped himself up higher. Slowly, he began to push her sweater up. He exposed her flat stomach and began to pepper it with kisses. She stroked the back of his head gently. Soon, he allowed his hands to slip beneath the fabric of her old sweater. He did not lift it to expose her breasts, but he grabbed them firmly beneath it, thrilled she hadn't put her bra back on. He lifted himself again to look at her. He smiled at her face, which was happily smiling back, and then he looked down at his hands on her breasts, under this magical sweater. He began to massage them, and he felt his member twitch hard as he watched his own hands moving under the red megaphone on her chest. Both of her smooth legs rested beside him until she slipped one around his other side. He closed his eyes for a blissful moment as she spread her legs for him in her cheerleading skirt. So many fantasies were coming true for him. He pressed his groin forward and was surprised to feel nothing between them. "Laura Winslow," he purred, pulling back slightly to avoid temptation, "where are your panties?"

She smiled up at him innocently. "Oops. Did I forget them again?"

He laughed and snorted before leaning into kiss her. "Mmmmm…" he moaned. He broke their kiss and stared down at her. "You are such a sexy, little cheerleader," he purred. He lifted her sweater up over her breasts and began to suck on her nipple while he played with the other. "Mmmmm…"

"Oooooo, Steve…" she purred. "Mmm… Yes, Baby," she encouraged as she wiggled beneath him.

Steve kissed his way to the other nipple and placed his left hand on her breast. He moved his free hand down to her womanhood and slowly and gently teased her smooth skin. He continued to moan as he sucked at her teat. "Mmmmm…" He placed his finger at her wetting entrance and circled it slowly.

"Wait," Laura breathed dramatically.

Steve looked up at her in genuine concern, releasing her breast. "What's wrong, Sweetums?" he asked.

Laura pouted at him. "I've never let a boy touch me there, Steve."

Her breathy, whispery voice tickled his every nerve. He smiled bashfully as she continued to role-play with him. He lifted himself higher on her body and stroked her hair. He looked down at her. He realized suddenly that this is what he had wanted their wedding night to be like. He had wanted to be the cool, confident one. He had wanted to calm her nerves as he proved his love for her, instead of the other way around. He looked deep into her eyes and whispered, "Oh, Laura Lee, I love you more than anything in this world. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do, but I promise I'll make you feel good. Don't you trust me?"

She nodded softly.

"Then just relax, Baby, and let me take care of you," he purred. He leaned down and kissed her softly. As their lips pulled and locked together, he pushed two fingers inside of her.

"Ooh," she moaned softly.

He continued to kiss her as he began to slide his two fingers in and out of her. After a few moments, he pulled away and lifted himself away from her so he could enjoy the show. He watched as his fingers slid in and out of her womanhood, framed by the red of her short, flowing skirt. "Oh, yes," he purred as he looked down at her fit, costumed body quivering in excitement. He stroked her G-spot firmly, and she bucked her hips up to him excitedly.

"Mmmmmmm… Steeeeeve…" she purred. She smiled up at him. "Oh, I never imagined you could make me feel so good," she said.

He grinned proudly and leaned back down to her chest. He began to suckle on her nipple as he touched her.

Laura fell out of character for a moment as she felt the additional stimulation. "Oh, Baby, yes, right there. You know what to do."

He nibbled softly, and she gasped loudly.

"OH!"

Growing impatient, he began to kiss down her chest and stomach. He paused between her legs. He moved to her thighs and began to kiss, suck, and lick. He inched closer and closer to her womanhood.

"Mmmm… What are you going to do?" she asked, lifting herself up to glance at him, doe-eyed.

"Shhhhh…" he shushed her. "Just relax, my little love bunny. Let me have my way with you."

She suppressed a grin and lay back down. He sounded so confident. This was having exactly the effect she had hoped it would. He was finally allowing himself to live out those adolescent fantasies she knew were still hiding in there. He was finally allowing himself to express himself fully. Soon, he cleared her head as his tongue touched her clit softly. "Oh!" she gasped exaggeratedly. "Oh, Steve Urkel! What are you doing?" she purred.

He grinned up at her and began to softly kiss and lick her clit. His fingers never stopped pumping in and out of her. "Oh, Laura Lee, you taste so sweet," he growled. "So, so sweet." He sucked on her clit.

"Mmmmm…" she moaned. "Ohhhhh…"

He began to suck harder and finger her faster.

Laura could feel her muscles tightening. She was losing control of her movements. She was skipping breaths. She knew what was coming. She wanted to call out to him. She wanted to tell him she was almost there, but she knew that her younger-self wouldn't have been have recognized the signs. "Oh, Steve," she purred. "Oh, Steve, I've never felt anything like this!"

He moaned loudly into her delicious womanhood, "Mmmmmm…"

"Oh, God, Baby," she purred lower, temporarily forgetting her character.

He could feel the way her body moved, and he could feel her tightening around him, drawing him in, locking him in. He could hear her heavy, sporadic breathing. She was close. He pulled away and whispered, "Come for me, Pet." He sucked hard on her clit again.

"I don't know how," she moaned, barely self-aware enough to keep playing their game.

He moaned again, "Mmmmm… Come for me, Laura Winslow." He growled softly as he continued to eat her.

"Oh, God," she breathed. "Don't stop," she ordered. "Oh, Steeeeve! Mmmmmmm…" Moments after he ordered her to, she began to come on his face. "Steeeeeeve…" she whined as he pushed her over the edge. "Steeeeeve… Oooooo…" As her moment of ecstasy passed, her body relaxed and released him.

He pulled away from her, panting at least as heavily as she was. He kissed his way up her body and lined himself up with her entrance. He was wasting no time. "Are you ready?" he asked softly.

Laura's foggy head was no longer sure if they were role-playing. Maybe he was just asking. Either way, the answer was a resounding, "Yes, Steve. Please."

He smiled down at her and kissed her deeply. He pressed forward, slipping the head of his member inside of her. He broke the kiss and gasped. "Oh, Laura!"

"Mm. Steve," she whispered. "Oh, Steve, go slow," she begged. "I'm still a virgin."

He shook his head at her. "No, Pet, I'm done playing." He pressed his forehead to hers. "I just want to make love to my wife, my soul mate."

She nodded. "I love you, Steve," she moaned as he slid in further.

He kissed her passionately, sliding the rest of the way in. "Oh, GOD! I love you, too," he growled. He kissed her again. They made out feverishly as he began to slide in and out of her. They moaned again and again, but neither of them said a word anymore. He just took her. Their eyes were tightly closed for several minutes as he pounded in and out of her again and again. To both of them, it felt like it went on forever, but they never felt like they were ready for it to end. After several long minutes, however, biology took over. Steve broke the kiss and looked deeply into Laura's eyes which only then fluttered open. "Laura Lee…" he moaned. "Laura Lee…"

She placed her hands on his cheeks and stroked his face. "Steve…" she purred. "Oh, God, Steve…"

He moved his face closer to hers, but kept his eyes locked on hers. "Laura, I'm gonna... I'm gonna… Unh…"

Laura nodded. It was time. She was ready for him. He had held on long enough. She wanted him to come in her. She wanted him to feel the way he had made her feel. She wished she could go with him, but she just wasn't there yet. "It's ok, Steve… You can do it."

"Unnhh… Laura, I'm gonna come," he growled, pounding into her hard and fast.

Laura nodded, "I know, Baby. I'm ready. Come inside me."

"Ohhhhhh…" he growled.

"Come inside me, Steve," she encouraged. "Come inside me. Come inside me. Come in – OHHH!" She cried out as she felt him begin to shoot his load in the back of her womanhood.

"LAURA LEE," he shouted, staring into her dark, brown eyes with a fiery intensity. "Oh, LAURA! LAURA! LAURA! LAURAAAA!" he screamed, thrusting forcefully as he filled her with every drop, before he allowed himself to land heavily on top of her, resting deep inside of her. He buried his face in her neck and slipped his arms beneath her. He squeezed her tightly.

Laura smiled brightly and rubbed his strong back. "I love you, Steve," she whispered as his breathing began to slow.

"I love you, too," he whispered back. He allowed himself a few moments to catch his breath, but then he sat up and pulled out of her.

She looked up at him, disappointment reading clearly on her face. Why had he pulled out so quickly? She loved her after-sex snuggles, especially when he lay on top of her, still deep inside of her.

Steve looked down at her in her disheveled cheerleading uniform, most of her body parts exposed to him. He had to do everything he could to savor that image. He grabbed her thighs and positioned her legs the way he wanted them, spread wide and welcoming. He flipped her skirt back up as to fully expose her womanhood and her hairless mound. He looked down at her pink, rosy lips. He watched intently as his cum oozed out of her. This is what he had wanted to see. He stared at her entrance silently.

"Steve?" Laura asked eventually. "Steve, Baby, what are you doing?"

Steve glanced back up to her face. He smiled at her softly. He wasn't sure how to explain it without coming off like a freak. "You look so… purdy…" he said softly.

She giggled. Laura reached down and gently stroked the skin on her mound. "You really think it's pretty?" she asked, shyly.

Steve didn't hesitate. "Laura, your beautiful womanhood has become my very favorite part of your body."

Laura raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? You'd rather stare at that than my boobs or my butt?" she asked, seriously surprised.

Steve blushed as she mentioned those other private parts so outright. Still, he refused to break eye contact. "Don't get me wrong, Sweetums, I love those parts, too. Your body is a work of art, but yes, Laura. I would rather stare at your heavenly opening dripping with my…" He glanced down at it again. What was he supposed to call it? He knew she would have said cum, but he didn't like that word. He only managed to use it when they were in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, he preferred more scientific terms or sweet euphemisms. He looked back up at her. "Dripping with my… white, hot love for you," he purred intensely.

She suppressed a giggle and smiled up at him flirtatiously. "I love how it feels," she admitted, "when you fill me up like this, and it all drips out after."

Steve smiled. "It doesn't all drip out, Pet." He placed a hand on her flat stomach. "Someday, you're going to stop taking your birth control, and then you'll see. Our love will grow inside of you."

Laura swallowed hard, made nervous at the thought.

He glanced up at her. "I said, 'someday,' Mama. Relax."

She nodded. "Someday," she agreed.

He looked back down at her entrance. He trailed his eyes all around her body, trying to observe as much as he could of cheerleader Laura, dripping with his cum. "I can't even imagine how many boys saw you in this uniform and wanted…"

Laura shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore, Steve. You're the only one who's ever made love to me."

"Laura, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

"How many men really tried to get you into bed?"

"Like ever?"

"Yes," he said.

"God, Steve, I don't know," Laura answered.

"It was that many?" he asked.

"Yeah," she admitted, a little embarrassed for a reason she couldn't understand.

"Why did you turn them down? You really, really liked a lot of those guys. Why did you wait?"

"What do you mean, Steve?" Laura asked. "I don't know. Why did you wait?"

"I was waiting for you," he answered simply. "When I was with Myra, I told her, and I told myself, that I was waiting because I wasn't ready, because I wanted to wait for marriage, but that was only a small part of why I was waiting. Deep down, I knew that I was waiting for you. Honestly, if you had never developed feelings for me, I still don't think I ever would have married Myra. I've only ever wanted you."

"Steve," she argued, "that's not true. You were attracted to Myra. You've been attracted to lots of other women."

"Yes, I've been attracted to them, but I've never wanted them. I've never seriously contemplated making a move on someone else." He looked down at her entrance again. He slipped his fingers inside.

"Ohhh…"

"But you," he purred. "You thought about giving yourself to other men, didn't you? You really thought about it."

Laura took a deep breath as he began to finger her again. "I… I only seriously considered it with a couple of guys."

"Who?" he demanded to know.

"Ted," she said. She swallowed hard, "Um, Curtis." She looked at his face and his eyes met hers again.

"And Stefan," he finished.

She nodded. "Yes, but that's not all."

He sped up his fingers. "Who else?" he growled quietly.

"Youuuuuu…" she moaned.

"What?" he asked, his brow furrowing deeply in confusion.

Laura reached down and pulled his fingers out of her. He couldn't touch her like that and expect her to speak coherently. She pulled his arm so he would lie next to her. She turned on her side to face him as he did the same, propping himself up on an elbow. She moved close to him. "You, Steve. I seriously considered making love to you before we were married."

"Really?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"When?"

"Well, a lot, but there were a couple of times that really stand out, I guess. Um. The first time I really thought about it was after Polkapalooza. I had fantasized about it before then, but–"

"Oooo… Fantasized…" he purred.

"Oh, yeah, Baby," she replied in a low, sultry voice. "I fantasized about you a lot when I was falling for you."

"Really?" he asked.

"Of course, Steve!" she shouted. "You're the love of my life, and I am so, incredibly attracted to you. I can't even tell you how many times I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how badly I wanted you."

Suddenly, he didn't care about this conversation anymore. "Oh, God, Laura…" he groaned. He lay flat on his back, and he slipped an arm around her. He pulled hard, yanking her on top of him.

"Oh!" she called as she was suddenly thrown into a different position. She barely managed to catch her balance and straddle him. She looked down at him in surprise.

He placed his hands on her smooth thighs and stroked up and down. "I love you," he whispered.

Finally getting the message, she moved so that she hovered over his hard member. "I love you, too," she purred as she grazed her wet entrance against his tip. "Unnhhh…" she whimpered.

"Mmmmm…" he growled.

Laura stared deep into his eyes as she began to lower herself down his member. She was so wet and so aroused, it took barely any effort. When he was fully inside of her, she paused for a moment and took a deep breath. She leaned forward so their faces were touching. She began to move up and down on his member, torturously slowly. Neither of them spoke. The only sounds in the room were their heavy, fast breaths and the sound of their bodies connecting again and again.

Steve moved his hands down to her butt and squeezed. He grabbed her firmly under her skirt and tried to speed her up, pressing her down and pulling her up at a faster pace.

She reached down and grabbed his hands. She moved them up to her breasts, wanting the extra stimulation and wanting to be in complete control.

He massaged her breasts enthusiastically. Although he wanted to take her hard and fast, he could never be disappointed when Laura Winslow placed his hands on her breasts. That was a dream-come-true. He began to play with her nipples, and she finally began to move faster.

As his nipple play sent waves of pleasure to her clit, she began to moan as she rode him. "Ohhhh, Steve," she purred. She bounced faster and faster, but it wasn't exactly what she needed. She sat up, changing the angle, but it still wasn't quite right.

Steve watched in awe as she took his member again and again. Her short red skirt flew up and down with each bounce, showing him her womanhood and hiding it teasingly again and again. Her breasts bounced below her sweater in her rhythm.

As she felt her clit twitch with desire, she reached down and began to rub it, still sliding up and down his member. That was it. That was what she needed. She bounced and rubbed as quickly as she could. The finish line was finally in view. "Steeeeve…" she whined. "Oh, Steeeeve…"

Steve saw the change in her. He hated to see her eyes close so tightly, but he knew that that meant she was close. Her rapid movements were getting him close, too. Still, he was disappointed as he watched her rub her clit. He wanted her to come, but he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't doing his job if she was the one who had to get herself off. He reached out toward her clit but had trouble making contact because of the way she was moving. He felt her womanhood gripping him tightly. She was really close now. He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to be involved. He needed to get her there. He needed her to need him to come the way he needed her. He pushed her off of him and back onto the bed.

She looked up at him in surprise. Was something wrong? She went to say something but was soon silenced as he grabbed her hard and lifted her up on her knees. He got behind her and entered her again. "Oh, STEVE!" she cried out in surprise as he began to slam into her again and again. She leaned forward and rested her weight on her hands as he began to take her hard and fast from behind. She moved her right hand back to her clit, but he slapped it away.

He began to rub her button furiously and grinned proudly to himself. He had to bend over her to reach her properly, so he was missing the incredible view, but it was worth it. Her womanhood began to squeeze him tightly again, and her breath was out of sync.

"Steve…" she moaned. "Steeeeeeve… Yes… Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop!"

"Laura," he grunted. "Laura, Laura, Laura, Laura."

"Steve, I'm gonna come," she yelled. "I'm gonna come."

"Yessssss…" he roared. "Laura Lee, please come for me. Please, come on me. Please, Laura. Please, Laura. Please, Baby, come on me."

"I'm coming, Steve. I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming," she said again and again, desperately trying to get over that edge.

He slammed into her G-spot again and again as hard as he could. He rubbed her magic button relentlessly. Suddenly, he realized, he might not make it. She wasn't there. She was at the edge, but she wasn't there, and he couldn't last much longer. He wanted to hold on for her, but he just couldn't. He placed his free hand beneath her and yanked her up on her knees. He placed his hand on her cheek and turned her face toward him, so he could look her in the eyes. He grabbed her nipple and pinched it hard.

Suddenly, with the added stimulation, she came. "Oh, STEVE! STEEEEEEEEVE…" she yelled as he body shook and vibrated on his member.

Her tight, throbbing womanhood immediately began to milk him of his essence. He stared at her beautiful face, contorting in the purest pleasure as they both came. His member was buried to his pelvis, and his balls emptied of everything he had for her. He was empty. He held her close as she continued to come on his softening manhood.

"Steeeve…" she whispered as it finally ended. "Oh, Steve." Her eyes slowly fluttered open, meeting his unmoving gaze. She swallowed hard and smiled at him, still breathing heavily.

He smiled back at her, released her breast, and moved his hand away from her sensitive clit. He placed both of his hands on her flat stomach and kissed her lips gently. Soon, he pulled out of her. He lay back on the bed, completely exhausted. He opened his arms for her, and she happily climbed into them. He felt her sweaty skin touch his, and then he felt the thick fabric of her uniform. He sat up for a moment, pulling her with him, and he lifted her sweater over her head. He tossed it to the ground. She lifted herself slightly as he yanked off her skirt. He lay back down, climbing under the covers with her this time, and she laid her head on his chest. Her naked body was hot. He knew she must have been dying in that warm sweater. Yet, she wore it for him anyway. He lifted a hand and stoked her hair.

"That was amazing," she whispered eventually.

He grinned proudly again. "It was," he agreed. "Did you finish, my little love basket?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

She smirked, knowing he knew. She had practically screamed it from the rooftops. "Yes, I did, Steve," she said.

"Good," he answered. He watched as her mouth opened in a slow yawn. "Did I wear you out, Pet?" he grinned confidently.

"Yes," she purred, nuzzling into his chest. She wrapped her arm around his muscular torso and intertwined a leg with his. "This whole day was exhausting."

"This whole week has been exhausting," he added.

"Mhmm. You know? Sometimes, you are the only thing that makes sense in my life."

He smiled. "You have always been the only thing that made sense in mine."

Laura's lips curled into a soft smile, and she kissed his chest several times before relaxing against him again. "I love sharing a bed with you," Laura said.

"I love sharing a home with you, Cuddle Bug."

Laura lifted her head to look him in the eye. "For the rest of our lives," she promised. She leaned forward and kissed him before lying back down on his chest. "I love you, Steve."

"I love you more, Laura Lee," he countered.

She didn't have the energy for that argument. "Good night, Nerd Boy," she grinned.

He laughed and snorted. "Good night, my little tease."


End file.
